A  struggle  for  life. 


Page  140. 


THE 


BEGUM'S   FORTUNE. 


BY 


JULES    VERNE. 


TRANSLATED    BY  W.  H.  G.   KINGSTON. 


[       WITH    AN   ACCOUNT    OK 

THE    MUTINEERS    OF    THE    "BOUNTY." 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    AND     CO., 
MARKET    STREET. 


LONDON : 

PRINTED    BY   WILLIAM   CLOWES  AND   SONS, 

STAMFORD   STREET    AND   CHARING   CROSS. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

ENTER  MR.  SHARP    .  i 


CHAPTER  II. 
A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS 16 

CHAPTER  III. 
EFFECT  OF  AN  ITEM  OF  NEWS 32 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Two  CLAIMANTS 47 

CHAPTER  V. 
STAHLSTADT 63 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  ALBRECHT  PIT 80 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  CENTRAL  BLOCK 95 


IV  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAGE 

THE  DRAGON'S  DEN  .  108 


CHAPTER  IX. 
P.  P.  C 128 

CHAPTER  X. 
AN  ARTICLE  FROM  '  UNSERE  CENTURIE,'  A  GERMAN  REVIEW      142 

CHAPTER  XL 
AT  DINNER  WITH  DOCTOR  SARRASIN 157 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  COUNCIL 165 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
NEWS  FOR  THE  PROFESSOR 178 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
CLEARING  FOR  ACTION 182 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  EXCHANGE  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO 189 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
A  BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN  CAPTURE  A  TOWN    .       .  .202 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
PARLEY  BEFORE  THE  CITADEL 214 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PAGE 

THE  KERNEL  OF  THE  NUT 224 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  FAMILY  AFFAIR 233 

CHAPTER  XX. 
CONCLUSION 238 


THE  MUTINEERS  OF  THE  "BOUNTY." 

-  CHAPTER  I. 
TURNED  ADRIFT 241 

CHAPTER  II. 
VOYAGE  OF  THE  LONG  BOAT 251 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  MUTINEERS 262 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Doctor  Sarrasin  at  breakfast i 

The  newly-found  Rajah 9 

Astounding  news 22 

He  read  his  father's  letter  again 2^ 

Otto  tells  his  news 28 

"  For  my  part,  I  always  believe  what  Max  says"    .        .       .       .  31 

Chairing  the  Doctor 40 

Professor  Schultz  and  his  man 43 

The  LangeVol  business 47 

"  We've  got  the  best  of  it  this  time  !" 59 

Stahlstadt 65 

The  new  workman 68 

Puddlers  at  work 72 

A  monster  hammer 72 

The  casting-hall 74 

The  little  miner's  life 83 

Max  offers  his  help 86 

Poor  little  Carl 93 

An  unexpected  sight 105 

The  King  of  Steel  in  his  palace 107 

The  masterpiece  of  Herr  Schultz 116 

Terrible  projectiles 118 

Formidable  guards 125 

Max's  ruse 134 

A  destructive  fire 137 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS.  Vli 

PAGE 

A  struggle  for  life 140 

Frankville 142 

The  Frankville  railway 147 

The  dinner  at  Doctor  Sarrasin's 163 

An  important  meeting  to  be  held 169 

No  time  to  be  lost 172 

Plans  for  the  defence     .        .       . 182 

Coolies  at  work 184 

Great  excitement  among  business  men 192 

Entering  Stahlstadt 207 

Forcing  an  entrance      .       .       .       .„ 210 

Danger  around 218 

Max  and  Otto  fighting  the  giants 219 

The  mysterious  entrance 222 

Herr  Schultz  discovered 225 


THE  MUTINEERS  OF  THE  "  BOUNTY." 

Captain  Bligh  in  the  power  of  the  mutineers 244 

Christian  watching  the  departing  boat 250 

The  English  and  the  natives 252 

Bligh's  perilous  voyage 256 

The  Bounty  approaching  the  shore 262 


Doctor  Sarrasin  at  breakfast. 


Page  i. 


THE   BEGUM'S   FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ENTER  MR.   SHARP. 

"  REALLY  these  English  newspapers  are  very  well  written," 
said  the  worthy  doctor  to  himself,  as  he  leant  back  in  a 
great  leathern  easy-chair. 

Dr.  Sarrasin  had  all  his  life  been  given  to  soliloquising, 
one  of  the  many  results  of  absence  of  mind. 

He  was  a  man  of  fifty,  or  thereabouts  ;  his  features  were 
refined  ;  clear  lively  eyes  shone  through  his  steel  spectacles, 
and  the  expression  of  his  countenance,  although  grave,  was 
genial.  He  was  one  of  those  people,  looking  at  whom  one 
says  at  the  first  glance,  "  There  is  an  honest  man  !  " 

Notwithstanding  the  early  hour,  and  the  easy  style  of 
his  dress,  the  doctor  had  already  shaved  and  put  on  a 
white  cravat. 

Scattered  near  him  on  the  carpet  and  on  sundry  chairs, 
in  the  sitting-room  of  his  hotel  at  Brighton,  lay  copies  of 
the  Times,  the  Daily  Telegraph,  and  the  Daily  News.  It 

B 

n 


THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


was  not  much  more  than  ten  o'clock,  yet  the  doctor  had 
been  out  walking  in  the  town,  had  visited  an  hospital, 
returned  to  his  hotel,  and  read  in  the  principal  London 
journals  the  full  report  of  a  paper  communicated  by  him 
two  evenings  previously  at  a  meeting  of  the  great  Inter 
national  Hygienic  Conference  on  the  "  Compte  globules  du 
sang,"  or  "  blood-corpuscle  computator,"  an  instrument  he 
had  invented,  and  which  even  in  England  keeps  its  French 
name.  Before  him  stood  a  breakfast-tray  covered  with  a 
snowy  napkin,  on  which  were  placed  a  well  dressed  cutlet, 
a  cup  of  hot  and  fragrant  tea,  and  a  plate  of  that  buttered 
toast  which  English  cooks,  thanks  to  English  bakers,  can 
make  to  perfection. 

"Yes,"  he  repeated,  "these  journals  are  really  admirably 
well  written,  there  is  no  denying  the  fact.  Here  is  the 
speech  of  the  president,  the  reply  by  Doctor  Cicogna  of 
Naples,  my  own  paper  in  full,  all  as  it  were  caught  in  the 
air,  seized  and  photographed  at  once  ! 

"  Dr.  Sarrasin  of  Douai  rose  and  addressed  the  meeting. 
The  honourable  member  spoke  in  French,  and  said,  '  My 
auditors  will  permit  me  to  express  myself  in  my  own 
language,  which  I  am  sure  they  understand  far  better  than 
I  can  speak  theirs.' 

"  Five  columns  in  small  print ! 

"  I  cannot  decide  which  reports  it  best,  the  Times  or  the 
Telegraph,  each  seems  so  exact  and  so  precise." 


ENTER  MR.   SHARP. 


Dr.  Sarrasin  had  reached  this  point  in  his  meditations, 
when  one  of  the  waiters  of  the  establishment,  a  gentleman 
most  correctly  dressed  in  black,  entered,  and  presenting  a 
card,  inquired  whether  "  Monsiou "  was  "  at  home "  to 
a  visitor. 

This  appellation  of  "  Monsiou  "  the  English  consider  it 
necessary  to  bestow  indiscriminately  on  every  Frenchman 
— in  the  same  way  they  would  think  it  a  breach  of  all  the 
rules  of  civility  did  they  fail  to  address  an  Italian  as 
"Signor,"  and  a  German  as  "Herr."  Perhaps  on  the 
whole  the  custom  is  a  good  one — it  certainly  has  the  ad 
vantage  of  at  once  indicating  nationalities. 

Considerably  surprised  to  hear  of  a  visitor  in  a  country 
where  he  was  acquainted  with  no  one,  the  doctor  took  the 
card,  and  read  with  increased  perplexity  the  following 
.address : 

Mr.  Sharp, 

Solicitor, 

93,  Southampton  Row,  London. 

He  knew  that  a  "  solicitor  "  meant  what  he  should  call 
an  "avoueY'  and  signified  a  lawyer  of  the  compound 
nature  of  attorney,  procurator,  and  notary. 

"  What  possible  business  can  Mr.  Sharp  have  with  me  ? " 
thought  the  doctor.  "  Can  I  have  got  into  some  scrape  or 
other  without  knowing  it  ?  Are  you  sure  this  card  is 
intended  for  me  ? "  he  asked. 

B  2 


THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


"  Oh  yes,  Monsiou." 

"  Well,  let  the  gentleman  come  in." 

A  youngish  man  entered  the  room,  whom  the  doctor  at 
once  classed  in  the  great  family  of  "  death's  heads."  Thin 
dry  lips,  drawn  back  from  long  white  teeth,  hollow  temple- 
bones,  displayed  beneath  skin  like  parchment,  the  com 
plexion  of  a  mummy,  and  small  grey  eyes  as  sharp  as 
needles,  quite  justified  the  title.  The  rest  of  the  skeleton, 
from  the  heels  to  the  occiput,  was  hidden  from  view 
beneath  an  ulster,  of  a  large  chequer  pattern ;  his  hand 
grasped  a  patent-leather  bag. 

This  personage  entered,  bowing  in  a  hasty  manner, 
placed  bag  and  hat  on  the  ground,  took  a  chair  without 
waiting  to  have  one  offered,  and  opened  his  business  by 
saying— 

"William  Henry  Sharp,  Junior,  of  the  firm  of  Billows, 
Green,  Sharp  and  Co.  Have  I  the  honour  of  speaking  to 
Doctor  Sarrasin  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Francois  Sarrasin?'* 

"That  certainly  is  my  name." 

"OfDouai?" 

"  I  reside  at  Douai." 

"Your  father's  name  was  Isidore  Sarrasin  ?" 

"  It  was  so." 

"  Let  us  conclude  him  to  have  been  Isidore  Sarrasin." 


ENTER   MR.    SHARP.  5 


Mr.  Sharp  drew  a  note-book  from  his  pocket,  consulted 
it,  and  resumed — 

"  Isidore  Sarrasin  died  at  Paris  in  1857,  6th  Arrondisse- 
ment,  Rue  Taranne,  Number  54 — the  Hdtel  des  Ecoles, 
now  demolished." 

''Perfectly  correct,5*  said  the  doctor,  more  and  more 
astonished.  "But  will  you  have  the  kindness  to  ex 
plain ?" 

"His  mother's  name,"  pursued  the  imperturbable  Mr. 
Sharp,  "was  Julie  Langevol,  originally  of  Bar-le-Duc, 
daughter  of  Benedict  Langevol,  who  lived  in  the  alley 
Loriol,  and  died  in  1812,  as  is  shown  by  the  municipal 
registers  of  the  said  town — these  registers  are  a  valuable 
institution,  sir — highly  valuable — hem — hem — and  sister 
of  Jean  Jacques  Langevol,  drum-major  in  the  36th 
Light-  -" 

"  I  assure  you,"  interrupted  Doctor  Sarrasin,  confounded 
by  this  intimate  acquaintance  with  his  genealogy,  "that 
you  are  better  informed  on  these  points  than  I  am  myself. 
It  is  true  that  my  grandmother's  family  name  was 
Langevol,  and  that  is  all  I  know  about  her." 

"About  the  year  1807  she  left  the  town  of  Bar-le-Duc 
with  your  grandfather,  Jean  Sarrasin,  whom  she  had 
married  in  1799.  They  settled  at  Melun,  where  he 
worked  as  a  tinsmith,  and  where,  in  1811,  Julie  Langevol, 
Sarrasin's  wife,  died,  leaving  only  one  child,  Isidore 


THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


Sarrasin,  your  father.  From  that  time,  up  to  the  date 
of  his  death,  discovered  at  Paris,  the  thread  is  lost." 

"I  can  supply  it,"  said  the  doctor,  interested  in  spite 
of  himself  by  this  wonderful  precision.  "My  grand 
father  settled  in  Paris  for  the  sake  of  the  education  of 
his  son,  whom  he  destined  to  the  medical  profession. 
He  died  in  1832,  at  Palaiseau,  near  Versailles,  where 
my  father  practised  as  a  physician,  and  where  I  was  born 
in  1822." 

"  You  are  my  man/'  resumed  Mr.  Sharp.  "  No  brothers 
or  sisters  ?" 

"  None.  I  was  the  only  son  ;  my  mother  died  two 
years  after  my  birth.  Now,  sir,  will  you  tell  me ? " 

Mr.  Sharp  stood  up. 

"  Rajah  Bryah  Jowahir  Mothooranath,"  said  he,  pro 
nouncing  the  names  with  the  respect  shown  by  every 
Englishman  to  a  title,  "  I  am  happy  to  have  discovered 
you,  and  to  be  the  first  to  congratulate  you." 

"  The  man  is  deranged,"  thought  the  doctor ;  "  it  is  not 
at  all  uncommon  among  these  death's  heads." 

The  solicitor  read  this  opinion  in  his  eyes. 

"  I  am  not  mad  in  the  slightest  degree,"  said  he  calmly. 
"  You  are  at  the  present  moment  the  sole  known  heir  to 
the  title  of  Rajah,  which  Jean  Jacques  Langevol — who 
became  a  naturalised  British  subject  in  1819,  succeeded  to 
the  property  of  his  wife  the  Begum  Gokool,  and  died  in 


ENTER   MR.    SHARP. 


1841,  leaving  only  one  son,  an  idiot,  who  died  without 
issue  in  1869 — was  allowed  to  assume  by  the  Governor- 
General  of  the  province  of  Bengal. 

"  The  value  of  the  estate  has  risen  during  the  last  thirty 
years  to  about  five  millions  of  pounds  sterling.  It 
remained  sequestered  and  under  guardianship,  almost 
the  whole  of  the  interest  going  to  increase  the  capital 
during  the  life  of  the  imbecile  son  of  Jean  Jacques 
Langevol. 

"In  1870  the  value  of  the  inheritance  was  given  in 
round  numbers  to  be  twenty-one  millions  of  pounds 
sterling,  or  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  millions  of  francs. 
In  fulfilment  of  an  order  of  the  law  court  of  Agra,  counter 
signed  by  that  of  Delhi,  and  confirmed  by  the  Privy 
Council,  the  whole  of  the  landed  and  personal  property 
has  been  sold,  and  the  sum  realised  has  been  placed  in  the 
Bank  of  England. 

"The  actual  sum  is  five  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
millions  of  francs,  which  you  can  withdraw  by  a  cheque  as 
soon  as  you  have  proved  your  genealogical  identity  in  the 
Court  of  Chancery.  And  in  the  meantime  I  am  authorised 
by  Messrs.  Trollop,  Smith  and  Co.,  Bankers,  to  offer  you 
advances  to  any  amount." 

Dr.  Sarrasin  sat  petrified — for  some  minutes  he  could  not 
utter  a  word ;  then,  impressed  by  a  conviction  that  this  fine 
story  was  without  any  foundation  in  fact,  he  quietly  said — 


8  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

u  After  all,  sir,  where  are  the  proofs  of  this,  and  in 
what  way  have  you  been  led  to  find  me  out  ? " 

"The  proofs  are  here,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Sharp,  tapping 
on  his  shiny  leather  bag.  "  As  to  how  I  discovered  you,  it 
has  been  in  a  very  simple  way  :  I  have  been  searching  for 
you  for  five  years.  It  is  the  speciality  of  our  firm  to  find 
heirs  for  the  numerous  fortunes  which  year  by  year  are 
left  in  escheat  in  the  British  dominions.  . 

"For  five  years  the  question  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
Begum  Gokool  has  exercised  all  our  ingenuity  and  activity. 
We  have  made  investigations  in  every  direction,  passed  in 
review  hundreds  of  families  of  your  name  without  finding 
that  of  Isidore  Sarrasin.  I  was  almost  convinced  that 
there  was  not  another  of  the  name  in  all  France,  when 
yesterday  morning  I  read  in  the  Daily  News  a  report  of 
the  meeting  of  the  Hygienic  Conference,  and  observed 
that  among  the  members  was  a  Doctor  Sarrasin,  of 
whom  I  had  never  before  heard. 

'*  Referring  instantly  to  my  notes,  and  to  hundreds  of 
papers  on  the  subject  of  this  estate,  I  ascertained  with 
surprise  that  the  town  of  Douai  had  entirely  escaped 
our  notice. 

u  With  the  conviction  that  I  had  got  on  the  right  scent, 
I  took  the  train  for  Brighton,  saw  you  leave  the  meeting, 
and  all  doubt  vanished.  You  are  the  living  image  of 
your  great-uncle  Langevol,  of  whom  we  possess  a  photo- 


The  newly -found  Rajah. 


Page  9. 


ENTER   MR..  SHARP. 


graph  taken  from  a  portrait  by  the  Indian  painter 
Saranoni." 

Mr.  Sharp  took  a  photograph  from  his  pocket-book  and 
handed  it  to  Dr.  Sarrasin. 

It  represented  a  tall  man  with  a  magnificent  beard,  a 
crested  turban,  and  a  richly  brocaded  robe. 

He  was  seated  after  the  manner  of  conventional  portraits 
of  generals  in  the  army,  appearing  to  be  drawing  up  a  plan 
of  attack,  while  attentively  regarding  the  spectator. 

In  the  background  could  be  dimly  discerned  the  smoke 
of  battle  and  a  charge  of  cavalry. 

"A  glance  at  these  papers  will  inform  you  on  this 
matter  better  than  I  can  do,"  continued  Mr.  Sharp ;  "  I 
will  leave,  them  with  you,  and  return  in  a  couple  of  hours, 
if  you  will  then  permit  me  to  take  your  orders." 

So  saying,  Mr.  Sharp  drew  from  the  depths  of  his 
glazed  bag  seven  or  eight  bundles  of  documents,  some 
printed,  some  manuscript,  placed  them  on  the  table,  and 
backed  out  of  the  room,  murmuring — 

"I  have  the  honour  to  wish  the  Rajah  Bryah  Jowahir 
Mothooranath  a  very  good  morning." 

Partly  convinced,  partly  ridiculing  the  idea,  the  doctor 
took  the  papers  and  began  to  peruse  them. 

A  rapid  examination  sufficed  to  show  him  the  truth 
of  Mr.  Sharp's  statements,  and  to  remove  his  doubts. 
Among  the  printed  documents  he  read  the  following  : 


io  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Evidence  placed  before  the  Right  Honourable  Lords 
of  Her  Majesty's  Privy  Council  on  the  5th  of  January 
1870,  touching  the  vacant  succession  of  the  Begum  Gokool 
of  Ragginahra,  in  Bengal.  Points  of  the  case.  The 
question  concerns  the  rights  of  possession  to  certain 
landed  estates,  together  with  a  fcvariety  of  edifices,  palaces, 
mercantile  establishments,  villages,  personal  properties, 
treasure,  arms,  &c.,  &c.,  forming  the  inheritance  of  the 
Begum  Gokool  of  Ragginahra. 

From  evidence  submitted  to  the  civil  tribunal  of  Agra, 
and  to  the  Superior  Court  at  Delhi,  it  appears  that  in 
1819,  the  Begum  Gokool,  widow  of  Rajah  Luckmissur, 
and  possessed  in  her  own  right  of  considerable  wealth, 
married  a  foreigner,  of  French  origin,  by  name  Jean 
Jacques  Langevol. 

This  foreigner,  after  serving  until  1815  in  the  French 
army  as  drum-major  in  the  36th  Light  Cavalry,  embarked 
at  Nantes,  upon  the  disbandment  of  the  army  of  the 
Loire,  as  supercargo  of  a  merchant  ship. 

He  reached  Calcutta,  passed  into  the  interior,  and 
speedily  obtained  the  appointment  of  military  instructor  in 
the  small  native  army  which  the  Rajah  Luckmissur  was 
authorised  to  maintain.  In  this  army  he  rose  to  be  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  shortly  after  the  Rajah's  death  he 
obtained  the  hand  of  his  widow. 

In  consideration  of  various  important  services  rendered 


ENTER  MR.   SHARP.  II 

to  the  English  residents  at  Agra  by  Jean  Jacques  Langevol, 
he  was  constituted  a  British  subject,  and  the  Governor- 
General  of  Bengal  obtained  for  the  husband  of  the  Begum 
the  title  of  Rajah  of  Bryah  Jowahir  Mothooranath,  which 
was  the  name  of  one  of  the  most  considerable  of  her  estates. 
The  Begum  died  in  1839,  leaving  the  whole  of  her  wealth 
and  property  to  Langevol,  who  survived  her  only  two  years. 

Their  only  child  was  imbecile  from  his  infancy,  and  was 
placed  at  once  under  guardians.  The  inheritance  was 
carefully  managed  by  trustees  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1869. 

To  this  immense  heritage  there  is  no  known  heir.  The 
courts  of  Agra  and  Delhi  having  ordered  its  sale  by  auction, 
on  the  application  of  the  local  government  acting  for  the 
state,  we  have  the  honour  to  request  from  the  Lords  of  the 
Privy  Council  a  confirmation  of  their  decision,  &c.  Here 
followed  the  signatures. 

Copies  of  legal  documents  from  Agra  and  Delhi,  deeds 
of  sale,  an  account  of  the  efforts  made  in  France  to  discover 
the  next  of  kin  to  Langevol's  family,  and  a  whole  mass  of 
imposing  evidence  of  the  like  nature,  left  Dr.  Sarrasin  no 
room  for  doubt  or  hesitation. 

Between  him  and  the  five  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
millions  of  francs  deposited  in  the  strong  rooms  of  the 
Bank  of  England  there  was  but  a  step,  the  production  of 
authentic  certificates  of  certain  births  and  deaths. 


12  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


Such  a  stroke  of  fortune  being  enough  to  dazzle  the 
imagination  of  the  most  sober-minded  man,  the  good 
doctor  could  not  contemplate  it  without  some  emotion. 
Yet  it  was  of  short  duration,  and  exhibited  simply  by  a 
rapid  walk  for  a  few  minutes  up  and  down  his  apartment. 

Quickly  recovering  his  self-possession,  he  accused  him 
self  of  weakness  for  yielding  to  this  feverish  agitation, 
threw  himself  into  his  chair,  and  remained  for  a  time  lost 
in  profound  reflection. 

Then  suddenly  rising,  he  resumed  his  walk  backwards 
and  forwards,  while  his  eyes  shone  with  a  pure  light  as 
though  a  noble  and  generous  project  burned  within  his 
breast.  He  seemed  to  welcome,  to  caress,  to  encourage, 
and  finally  to  adopt  it. 

A  knock  at  the  door.     Mr.  Sharp  returned. 

"  I  ask  pardon  a  thousand  times  for  my  doubts  as  to 
the  correctness  of  your  information,"  said  the  doctor  in  a 
cordial  tone.  "  You  see  me  now  perfectly  convinced,  and 
extremely  obliged  to  you  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken." 

"  Not  at  all — mere  matter  of  business — in  the  way  of  my 
profession — nothing  more,"  replied  Mr.  Sharp.  "May  I 
venture  to  hope  that  the  Rajah  will  remain  our  client  ? " 

"  That  is  understood.  I  place  the  whole  affair  in  your 
hands.  I  only  beg  you  to  desist  from  giving  me  that 
absurd  title." 

"  Absurd  ! — a   title   worth   twenty  millions  !  "   were  the 


ENTER   MR.   SHARP.  13 


words  Mr.  Sharp  would  have  uttered  had  he  known  no 
better ;  but  he  said,  "  Certainly,  sir,  if  you  wish  it.  As 
you  please,  sir.  I  am  now  going  to  return  by  train  to- 
London,  where  I  shall  await  your  orders." 

"  May  I  keep  these  documents  ?  "  inquired  the  doctor. 

"  Most  assuredly — we  retain  copies." 

Dr.  Sarrasin  was  left  alone.  He  seated  himself  at  his 
desk,  took  out  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  wrote  as  follows : 

"Brighton,  28th  October,  1871. 

"MY  DEAR  CHILD, 

"  We  have  become  possessed  of  an  enormous  fortune, 
a  fortune  absurdly  colossal.  Do  not  fancy  that  I  have 
lost  my  senses,  but  read  the  printed  papers  enclosed  in 
my  letter.  You  will  there  plainly  see  that  I  am  proved 
to  be  the  heir  to  a  native  title  in  India,  and  a  sum 
equivalent  to  many  millions  of  francs,  actually  deposited 
in  the  Bank  of  England. 

"  I  can  feel  sure  of  the  sentiments  with  which  you,  my 
dear  Otto,  will  receive  this  news.  You  will  perceive,  as  I 
do  myself,  the  new  duties  which  such  wealth  will  impose 
upon  us,  and  the  danger  we  are  in  of  being  tempted  to  use 
it  unwisely. 

"  It  is  but  an  hour  since  I  was  made  aware  of  the  fact, 
and  already  the  overpowering  sense  of  responsibility  seems 
to  lessen  the  pleasure  it  first  gave  me  as  I  thought  of  you. 
This  change  may  be  fatal  instead  of  fortunate  to  our 


14  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

destiny.  In  the  modest  position  of  pioneers  of  science  we 
were  content  and  happy  in  obscurity.  Shall  we  continue 
to  be  so  ?  I  doubt  it, — unless — perhaps — (could  I  venture 
to  mention  an  idea  which  has  flashed  across  my  brain,) 
unless  this  same  fortune  were  to  become  in  our  hands  a 
new  and  powerful  engine  of  science,  a  mighty  tool  in  the 
great  work  of  civilisation  and  progress  !  We  will  talk  about 
this.  Write  to  me — let  me  know  very  soon  what  impression 
this  wonderful  news  makes  on  your  mind — and  let  your 
mother  hear  of  it  from  you.  Sensible  woman  as  she  is,  I 
am  convinced  she  will  receive  it  calmly.  As  to  your  sister, 
she  is  too  young  to  have  her  head  turned  by  anything  of 
the  sort.  Besides,  that  little  head  of  hers  is  a  very  sober 
one,  and  even  if  she  could  comprehend  all  that  this  change 
in  our  position  implies,  I  believe  she  would  take  it  more 
quietly  than  any  of  us. 

"  Remember  me  cordially  to  Max ;  I  connect  him  with 
all  my  schemes  for  the  future. 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"  FRANCOIS  SARRASIN." 

This     letter,    with    the   more    important    papers,    was 
addressed   to — 
Monsieur  Octave  Sarrasin, 

Student  at  the  Upper  School  of  Arts  and  Manufactures, 

32,  Rue  du  Roi  de  Sicile, 
Paris. 


ENTER   MR.   SHARP. 


Then  the  doctor  put  on  his  overcoat,  took  his  hat,  and 
went  to  the  Conference. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  worthy  man  had  forgotten 
all  about  his  millions. 


16  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS. 

DR.  SARRASIN'S  son  Octavius  was  not  exactly  what  one 
would  call  a  dunce.  He  was  neither  a  blockhead  nor  a 
genius,  neither  plain  nor  handsome,  neither  tall  nor  short, 
neither  dark  nor  fair.  His  complexion  was  nut-brown,  and 
he  was  altogether  an  average  specimen  of  the  middle 
class. 

At  school  he  had  never  taken  a  very  high  place,  although 
occasionally  gaining  a  prize.  He  had  failed  in  his  first 
examination  for  passing  into  the  College  of  Engineers, 
but  a  second  attempt  admitted  him,  although  with  no  great 
credit. 

There  was  a  want  of  decision  in  his  character — his  mind 
was  content  with  inaccuracies  ;  he  was  one  of  those  people 
who  are  satisfied  to  have  a  general  idea  of  a  subject,  and 
who  walk  through  life  by  moonlight. 

Such  men  float  at  the  mercy  of  fate,  as  corks  do  on  the 


A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS.  I/ 

crests  of  waves.  They  are  driven  to  the  equator  or  to  the 
pole,  according  to  whether  the  wind  blows  north  or  south. 
Chance  decides  their  career. 

Had  Dr.  Sarrasin  altogether  understood  his  son's 
character,  he  might  have  hesitated  to  write  the  letter  he 
did ;  but  the  wisest  man  may  be  a  blind  father. 

Fortunately  for  Octavius,  he  had  during  his  school  life 
come  under  the  influence  of  an  energetic  nature,  which  by 
its  vigorous  strength  ruled  him  for  his  good,  albeit  some 
what  tyrannically.  He  formed  a  close  friendship  with  one 
of  his  companions,  Max  Bruckmann,  a  native  of  Alsace,  a 
year  younger  than  himself,  but  far  his  superior  in  physical, 
intellectual  and  moral  vigour. 

Max  Bruckmann,  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  twelve, 
inherited  a  small  income,  just  sufficient  to  defray  the 
expense  of  his  education.  His  life  at  college  would  have 
been  monotonous  had  he  not  passed  the  holidays  with 
Octavius,  or  Otto,  as  he  called  his  friend,  at  his  home. 

The  young  Alsacien  very  soon  felt  himself  one  of  Dr. 
Sarrasin's  family.  Beneath  a  cold  exterior  lay  a  warm 
and  sensitive  nature,  and  he  considered  that  he  was  bound 
for  life  to  those  who  acted  like  father  and  mother  to  him. 

He  positively  adored  Dr.  Sarrasin,  his  wife,  and  their 
pretty  thoughtful  little  daughter;  his  heart  expanded 
under  the  influence  of  their  kindness,  and  he  greatly 
wished  to  be  useful  to  them  by  helping  Jeannette,  who 

C 


1 8  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

loved  her  studies,  to  advance  in  them,  and  thoroughly  to 
cultivate  her  excellent  abilities  and  firm,  sensible  mind, 
while  he  longed  to  lead  Otto  to  become  as  good  a  man  as 
his  father.  This  latter  task  he  well  knew  to  be  by  no 
means  so  easy  as  the  former,  yet  Max  was  resolved  to 
attain  his  double  purpose. 

Max  Bruckmann  was  one  of  those  trusty  and  gallant 
champions  whom  year  by  year  Alsace  sends  forth  to  do 
battle  on  the  great  arena  of  life  in  Paris. 

As  a  mere  child  he  distinguished  himself  by  the  strength 
and  flexibility  of  his  muscles,  as  much  as  by  the  vivacity 
and  intelligence  of  his  mind.  Inwardly  full  of  life  and 
courage,  his  outward  form  exhibited  strong  muscular 
development  rather  than  graceful  proportions.  At  college 
he  excelled  in  everything  he  attempted,  whether  sport  or 
study.  Reaping  an  annual  harvest  of  prizes,  he  thought 
the  year  wasted  if  he  failed  to  gain  all  within  his  reach. 

At  twenty  his  form  was  large,  robust,  and  in  splendid 
condition ;  his  movements  were  animated,  and  his  well- 
shaped  head  betokened  unusual  intelligence.  When  he 
entered  college,  the  same  year  with  Octavius,  he  stood 
second,  and  was  resolved  to  be  first  when  the  time  came 
for  leaving  it. 

Without  his  persistent  energy  to  urge  him  forward, 
Octavius  would  never  have  got  in  at  all.  For  the  space  of 
a  whole  year  Max  had  driven  and  goaded  him  to  work, 


A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS.  19 

had  regularly  compelled  him  to  succeed.  He  entertained 
for  this  friend  of  weak  and  vacillating  nature  a  sentiment 
of  kindly  compassion  such  as  one  might  suppose  a  lion  to 
exhibit  towards  a  little  puppy.  He  liked  to  feel  that  he 
could  nourish  this  parasitical  plant  from  the  superabund 
ance  of  his  own  sap,  and  cause  it  to  flourish  and  blossom 
beside  him. 

The  war  of  1870  broke  out  at  the  close  of  one  of  their 
terms.  Max,  full  of  patriotic  grief  at  the  fate  which 
threatened  Strasburg  and  Alsace,  hastened  to  enlist  in  the 
3 1st  Regiment  of  Light  Infantry.  Otto,  as  Max  called 
him,  and  as  we  will  for  the  future,  at  once  followed  his 
example. 

Side  by  side  the  two  friends,  stationed  in  the  outposts 
of  Paris,  went  through  the  severe  campaign  of  the  siege. 
At  Champigny  Max  received  a  ball  in  his  right  arm,  at 
Buzenval  an  epaulet  on  his  left  shoulder.  Otto  received 
neither  wound  nor  decoration.  It  could  not  have  been  his 
fault,  for  he  followed  his  friend  everywhere,  scarcely  half  a 
dozen  yards  in  his  rear.  But  those  half-dozen  yards  made 
all  the  difference. 

After  the  peace,  the  two  friends  resumed  their  studies, 
occupying  modest  apartments  together  near  the  college. 

The  recent  misfortunes  of  France,-  the  loss  to  her  of 
Lorraine  and  Alsace,  had  matured  the  character  of  Max — 
he  felt  and  spoke  like  a  man. 

C  2 


so  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  It  is  the  vocation  of  the  youth  of  France,"  said  he  ; 
"to  repair  the  errors  of  their  fathers.  By  genuine  hard 
work  alone  can  this  be  done." 

Max  rose  every  morning  at  five  o'clock,  and  made  Otto 
do  the  same.  He  obliged  him  to  be  punctual  at  his 
classes,  and  never  lost  sight  of  him  during  the  hours  of 
recreation. 

The  evening  was  devoted  to  study,  with  occasional 
pauses  for  a  pipe  or  a  cup  of  coffee.  At  ten  they  retired 
to  rest,  their  hearts  content,  their  brains  well  filled. 

A  game  at  billiards  now  and  then,  a  well-chosen  play  or 
concert,  a  ride  to  the  forest  of  Verrieres,  a  country  walk, 
and  twice  a  week  a  lesson  in  fencing  and  boxing — these 
were  their  amusements. 

From  time  to  time  Otto,  casting  curious  eyes  at  the 
very  questionable  enjoyments  of  other  students,  would 
make  feeble  attempts  at  revolt,  and  talk  of  going  to  see 
Caesar  Leroux,  who  was  "  studying  law,"  and  passed  most 
of  his  time  at  the  beer-shop  of  St.  Michel ;  but  Max 
treated  these  fancies  with  such  utter  contempt  and  derision 
that  they  usually  passed  off  quietly. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1871,  about  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  the  two  friends  were  seated,  as  was  their  wont, 
side  by  side  at  the  same  table,  with  a  shaded  lamp 
between  them. 

Max  was  working  a  problem  in  applied  mathematics, 


A  PAIR   OF  CHUMS.  21 

relative  to  the  stability  of  blocks,  and  had  thrown  himself 
heart  and  soul  into  his  subject. 

Otto  was  devoting  himself  sedulously  to  something 
which  he  thought  of  much  greater  consequence,  the  brewing 
of  a  pint  of  coffee.  It  was  one  of  the  few  things  in  which 
he  flattered  himself  he  really  excelled,  perhaps  because  he 
had  daily  practice  in  it,  thereby  escaping  for  a  few  minutes 
the  troublesome  business  of  squaring  equations,  which  he 
considered  that  Max  really  did  carry  too  far. 

Drop  by  drop  he  let  his  boiling  water  pass  through  a 
thick  layer  of  powdered  mocha,  and  he  ought  to  have  been 
contented  with  such  tranquil  happiness  ;  but  he  was  annoyed 
at  the  devoted  industry  of  Max,  and  felt  an  unconquerable 
desire  to  interrupt  him. 

"  It  would  be  a  good  plan  to  buy  a  percolator,"  said  he, 
suddenly.  "  This  ancient  and  solemn  method  of  filtering 
is  a  disgrace  to  our  modern  civilisation," 

"Do  buy  a  percolator;  it  will  perhaps  prevent  your 
wasting  an  hour  every  evening  with  this  cookery,"  replied 
Max,  and  he  returned  to  his  problem. 

"  The  intrados  of  a  vault  is  an  ellipsoid ;  let  A  B 
C  D  be  that  principal  ellipse  which  contains  the  two 
axes,  O  A  equal  to  a  O  B  equal  to  b,  while  the  least 
axis  O  O1  C  is  vertical,  and  equal  to  c ;  then  that  which 
supports  the  elliptic  vault " 

At  this  moment  came  a  rap  at  the  door. 


22  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"A  letter  for  Monsieur  Octave  Sarrasin."  It  may  be 
imagined  that  this  interruption  was  heartily  welcomed  by 
that  young  gentleman  ! 

"  Ah !  from  my  father — it  is  his  hand  I  see.  Come, 
this  is  something  like  a  letter ! "  he  exclaimed,  as  he 
weighed  the  packet  of  papers  in  his  hand. 

Max  knew  that  the  doctor  was  in  England.  He  had 
been  in  Paris  a  week  before  on  his  way  there,  and  had 
treated  the  two  lads  to  a  dinner  fit  for  an  emperor,  at  the 
Palais  Royal ;  for  although  that  once  famous  place  was 
quite  out  of  fashion,  Dr.  Sarrasin  continued  to  regard  it 
as  the  centre  of  Parisian  taste  and  refinement. 

"  Let  me  know  what  your  father  says  about  his  Hygienic 
Conference,"  said  Max.  "  It  was  a  good  idea  of  his  to 
attend  that ;  French  '  savants '  are  inclined  to  be  too 
exclusive." 

And  Max  returned  to  his  problem. 

"The  extrados  will  be  formed  by  another  similar 
ellipsoid,  having  its  centre  at  the  point  O  on  the  vertical 

OC." 

"  Let  F  F  F  be  the  foci  of  the  three  principal  ellipses, 
then  we  find  the  auxiliary  ellipse  and  hyperbola,  of  which 
the  common  axes  are " 

A  shout  from  Otto  made  him  look  up. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  he  asked  with  some  alarm, 
seeing  his  friend  turn  pale. 


Astounding  news. 


A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS.  23 

"  Read  this  ! "  cried  Otto,  completely  astonished  by  the 
news  he  had  received. 

Max  took  the  letter,  read  it  all  through,  read  it  a  second 
time,  glanced  over  the  documents  enclosed,  and  said — 

"  This  is  curious  !  " 

Then  he  filled  his  pipe,  and  lighted  it  methodically. 

Otto  watched  him — all  anxiety  for  his  opinion. 

"Do  you  think  it  can  be  true?"  he  exclaimed  with  a 
choking  voice. 

"  True  ? — to  be  sure  it  is.  Your  father  has  too  much 
common  sense,  his  judgment  is  too  good  to  let  him 
accept  rashly  so  well-authenticated  a  statement  as  this. 
Besides,  the  proofs  are  there — it  is  in  fact  perfectly 
plain." 

The  pipe  was  now  thoroughly  lighted. 

Max  resumed  his  work. 

Otto  sat  with  his  arms  hanging  down,  unable  even  to 
finish  his  coffee,  far  less  to  bring  two  ideas  together. 

He  could  not  help  speaking,  just  to  convince  himself 
that  he  was  not  asleep. 

"But,  I  say,  Max,  if  this  is  true  it  is  downright  over 
whelming  !  All  these  millions !  why — it  is  an  enormous 
fortune,  mind  you  ! " 

Max  looked  up  and  nodded,  "Yes,  enormous  is  the 
word  for  it.  Most  likely  there  is  not  one  such  in 
France,  a  few  in  the  United  States,  five  or  six  in 


24  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

England — not  above  fifteen  or  twenty  in  the  world 
altogether." 

"And  a  title  into  the  bargain!"  resumed  Otto.  "A 
foreign  title— what  is  it?  let's  see— 'Rajah!'  Not  that  I 
ever  was  ambitious  of  having  a  title,  but  if  it  comes  in  one's 
way,  why  it  certainly  sounds  more  imposing  than  plain 
Sarrasin." 

Max  shot  forth  a  puff  of  smoke,  and  uttered  not  a  word. 
That  puff  of  smoke  distinctly  said  "  Pooh  1  Pooh  !  " 

"  Certainly,"  continued  Otto,  "  I  should  never  have  stuck 
a  '  de '  before  my  name,  or  assumed  anything  high-sounding 
as  some  people  do  ;  but  to  inherit  a  real  genuine  title, 
and  to  take  rank  among  the  great  princes  of  India,  without 
any  possible  chance  of  doubt  or  confusion  ! " 

The  pipe  kept  puffing  "  Pooh  !  Pooh  !  " 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  said  Otto  decidedly,  "  you  may  say 
what  you  like,  but  I  can  tell  you  there  is  '  a  good  deal  in 
blood '  as  the  English  express  it." 

He  stopped  short  as  he  caught  the  mocking  smile  in 
Max's  eyes,  and  returned  to  the  contemplation  of  his 
millions. 

"Do  you  recollect,  Max,  howBin6me,  our  old  arithmetic 
master,  used  to  impress  upon  us  every  year  in  his  opening 
lesson,  that  five  hundred  millions  was  a  number  beyond  the 
grasp  of  one  human  mind  unaided  by  the  resources  of 
written  figures  ?  One  has  to  consider  that  a  man  spending 


A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS.  25 


a  franc  every  minute  would  take  more  than  a  thousand 
years  to  pay  away  such  a  sum.  Well,  it  really  is  strange 
to  think  one  has  inherited  five  hundred  millions  of 
francs ! " 

"  Five  hundred  million  francs  is  it  ? "  cried  Max  with 
more  interest  than  he  had  yet  shown.  "  Shall  I  tell  you 
the  best  thing  you  can  do  ?  Give  it  to  France  for  payment 
of  her  ransom,  she  only  requires  ten  times  as  much!" 

"  For  mercy's  sake,  don't  suggest  such  an  idea  to  my 
father ! "  cried  Otto,  looking  quite  scared.  "  He  really 
might  adopt  it.  I  can  tell  you  that  he  already  has  some 
notion  of  the  kind  in  his  head.  Some  investment  he 
might  certainly  make,  but  at  least  let  us  have  the  interest." 

"  Come,  we  shall  have  you  turn  out  a  financier  after 
all!"  said  Max.  "Something  tells  me,  my  poor  Otto, 
that  it  would  have  been  better  for  your  father,  with  his 
upright,  intelligent  mind,  if  this  great  fortune  had  been  of 
a  more  reasonable  size.  I  would  rather  see  you  with  an 
income  of  five-and-twenty  thousand  to  share  with  your 
good  little  sister  than  with  this  great  mountain  of  gold  !  " 

And  Max  went  back  to  his  work. 

As  to  Otto,  he  could  not  settle  to  anything,  and  fidgeted 
about  the  room  till  his  friend  got  rather  impatient  and 
said — 

"  You  had  better  go  out  and  take  a  walk,  Otto ;  it  is 
clear  you  are  fit  for  nothing  this  evening ! " 


26  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  You  are  quite  right !  I  really  am  not,"  replied  Otto, 
who  joyfully  caught  at  this  excuse  for  leaving  off  work, 
and  seizing  his  hat,  he  clattered  downstairs,  and  was  soon 
in  the  street. 

He  presently  stopped  beneath  a  bright  gaslight,  and 
read  his  father's  letter  again.  He  wanted  to  make  sure  he 
was  not  dreaming. 

"  Five  hundred  millions  of  francs !  "  he  kept  repeating. 
"  That  would  be  at  least  five-and-twenty  millions  a  year. 
Why,  if  my  father  will  only  give  me  one  million  a  year — 
say  quarterly  or  half-yearly — as  my  allowance,  how  happy 
I  should  be  !  Money  can  do  so  much.  I  am  sure  I  should 
make  an  excellent  use  of  it.  I'm  not  a  fool — not  a  bit  of 
it.  Didn't  I  get  into  the  upper  school  ?  And  then  that 
title  !  I'm  sure  I  could  easily  support  the  dignity  of  a  title." 

As  he  passed  along  he  looked  into  all  the  shops. 

"  I  shall  have  a  fine  house,  horses,  one  for  Max  of  course. 
I  becoming  rich  myself,  he  will  become  so  likewise. 
Only  think  !  Five  hundred  millions  !  But  somehow,  now 
a  fortune  comes,  it  seems  to  me  as  though  I  had  expected 
it.  Something  whispered  that  I  should  not  be  poring  over 
books  and  plans  all  my  life." 

As  Otto  revolved  these  thoughts,  he  was  passing  along 
beneath  the  arcades  of  the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  Reaching  the 
Champs  Elysees,  he  turned  up  the  Rue  Royal,  and 
reached  the  Boulevards. 


He  read  his  father's  letter  again. 


Page  26. 


A   PAIR   OF   CHUMS.  2/ 


The  splendid  shop-fronts,  which  formerly  he  regarded 
with  indifference  as  exhibiting  things  utterly  useless  to 
him,  now  attracted  lively  attention,  as  he  considered,  with 
a  thrill  of  delight,  that  he  could  at  any  moment  possess 
any  or  all  of  these  treasures. 

"  For  me,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  for  me,  all  this  fine  linen, 
all  these  exquisite  soft  cloths  are  manufactured  ;  for  me 
watchmakers  construct  timepieces  and  chronometers ;  for 
my  pleasure  the  brilliant  lustres  of  theatre  and  opera  shed 
their  dazzling  light,  violins  scrape,  prima-donnas  sing  their 
enchanting  strains.  For  me  horse  dealers  train  thorough 
breds,  and  the  Cafe  Anglaise  is  lighted  up.  All  Paris  is 
mine !  Everything  is  at  my  disposal !  Travel !  to  be 
sure  I  shall  travel.  I  shall  go  and  visit  my  Indian 
possessions.  As  likely  as  not  I  shall  buy  a  pagoda  some 
day,  priests  and  all,  and  the  ivory  idols  into  the  bargain. 
I  shall  have  elephants  of  my  own  !  I  shall  have  splendid 
guns  and  rifles — go  tiger-shooting.  And  I  must  have  a 
beautiful  boat.  A  boat,  what  am  I  thinking  about  ?  a  fine 
steam  yacht,  that's  what  I  shall  have — go  where  I  choose, 
stop  as  often  as  I  like.  Talking  of  steam,  I  have  to  give 
this  news  to  my  mother.  Suppose  I  start  for  Douai  ? 
There  is  college  to  be  considered.  But  then,  what's  the 
use  of  college  to  me  now  ? " 

"  But  Max,  I  must  let  him  know.  I  should  send  him  a 
message ;  of  course  he  will  understand  that  under  present 


28  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

circumstances   I    am   in   haste    to    see    my   mother    and 
sister." 

Otto  entered  an  office,  and  sent  a  telegram  to  inform  his 
friend  that  he  was  gone,  and  would  return  in  a  couple  of 
days.  Then,  hailing  a  cab,  he  was  driven  to  the  terminus 
of  the  Northern  Railway. 

Settling  himself  in  the  corner  of  a  carriage,  he  continued 
to  follow  out  his  dreaming  fancies,  until,  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  he  arrived  at  Douai ;  hurried  to  his  father's 
house,  and  rang  the  night  bell  so  noisily,  that  not  only  the 
family,  but  all  the  neighbours  were  aroused  by  the  peal. 
Night-capped  heads  popped  out  at  various  windows. 

"  Somebody  is  very  ill ! — who  can  it  be  ? "  inquired  one 
and  another. 

"The  doctor  is  not  at  home!"  screamed  the  old 
servant  from  her  attic  window. 

"  It  is  I !  it  is  Otto !  Come  down  and  let  me  in, 
Fanchon ! " 

After  a  delay  of  ten  minutes,  Otto  was  admitted  into 
the  house.  His  mother  and  sister  hastily  robed  in  dress 
ing-gowns,  came  downstairs,  all  anxiety  to  learn  the  cause 
of  this  visit. 

The  doctor's  letter  on  being  read  aloud  explained  the 
mystery. 

Madame  Sarrasin  was  at  first  completely  dazzled.  She 
embraced  her  son  and  daughter,  with  tears  of  joy ;  it 


Otto  tells  his  news. 


Page  ?8. 


30  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

the  side  of  the  enthusiastic  man  of  science,  and  conse 
quently  centred  all  her  hopes  and  aspirations  in  her  chil 
dren.  She  pictured  for  them  a  brilliant  and  happy  future. 

Otto,  she  felt  certain,  was  destined  to  do  great  things. 
From  the  time  he  took  a  place  in  the  upper  school  she 
mentally  regarded  that  modest  and  useful  college  for 
young  engineers  as  the  nursery  of  illustrious  men.  Her 
only  trouble  was  that  their  limited  means  might  possibly 
prove  an  obstacle,  or  at  least  a  difficulty  in  the  wray  of  her 
son's  brilliant  career,  and  might  ultimately  also  affect  her 
daughter's  establishment  in  life.  But  now,  she  so  far 
understood  the  news  conveyed  in  her  husband's  letter,  as 
to  perceive  that  these  fears  were  needless,  and  her  satisfac 
tion  was  entire. 

The  mother  and  son  spent  most  of  the  night  in  talking 
and  making  plans,  while  Jeannette,  happy  in  the  present, 
heedless  of  the  future,  was  fast  asleep  in  an  arm-chair. 

"  You  have  not  mentioned  Max,"  said  Madame  Sarrasin 
to  her  son.  "  Have  you  not  shown  him  your  father's 
letter  ?  What  does  he  say  about  it  ?" 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  Max  is  ! "  answered  Otto.  "  He  is 
worse  than  a  philosopher,  he  is  a  stoic.  I  believe  he  fears 
the  effect  so  enormous  a  fortune  will  have  upon  us  !  I  say 
upon  us,  but  he  is  not  afraid  for  my  father  himself,  whose 
good  sense  and  judgment,  he  says,  he  can  rely  upon.  But 
for  you,  mother,  and  Jeannette,  and  more  especially  for  me, 


For  my  part,  I  always  believe  what  Max  says.' 


Page  31. 


A  PAIR  OF  CHUMS.  31 

he  plainly  said  he  should  have  preferred  an  income  of  a 
few  thousands  a  year." 

"Perhaps  Max  is  not  far  wrong,"  replied  Madame 
Sarrasin,  looking  at  her  son.  "  The  sudden  possession  of 
great  wealth  is  fraught  with  danger  to  some  natures." 

Jeannette  awoke,  and  heard  her  mother's  last  words. 

"  Do  not  you  remember,  mother,"  said  she,  as,  rubbing 
her  eyes,  she  rose  and  turned  towards  her  little  bedroom, 
"  Do  not  you  remember  you  told  me  one  day  that  Max 
was  always  in  the  right.  I  for  my  part  believe  what  our 
friend  Max  says."  And,  kissing  her  mother,  Jeannette 
withdrew. 


32  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

EFFECT  OF  AN   ITEM   OF   NEWS. 

ON  entering  the  hall,  where  the  fourth  meeting  of  the 
Hygienic  Conference  was  being  held,  Dr.  Sarrasin  was 
conscious  that  he  was  received  with  unusual  tokens  of 
respect.  The  Right  Honourable  Lord  Glandover,  the 
president  and  chairman  of  the  assembly,  had  not  hitherto 
condescended  to  appear  conscious  of  the  existence  of  the 
French  doctor. 

This  nobleman  was  an  august  personage,  whose  part  it 
was  to  declare  the  Conference' open  or  closed,  and,  from  a 
list  placed  before  him,  to  call  upon  the  various  speakers 
who  were  to  address  the  meeting. 

He  habitually  carried  his  right  hand  in  the  breast  of  his 
buttoned  coat,  not  that  it  had  received  an  injury  and 
needed  support,  but  only  because  it  was  usual  among 
English  sculptors  to  represent  statesmen  in  this  inconve 
nient  attitude. 


EFFECT   OF  AN   ITEM   OF  NEWS.  33 

His  pale  smooth  face,  marked  with  red  blotches,  and 
surmounted  by  a  wig  of  light  hair,  brushed  high  on  a  fore 
head  which  clearly  belonged  to  an  empty  pate,  possessed 
an  aspect  of  ludicrous  stiffness  and  foolish  gravity.  Lord 
Glandover  might  have  been  made  of  wood  or  paste-board, 
so  stiff  and  unnatural  were  all  his  movements.  His  very 
eyes  appeared  to  turn  beneath  their  brows  by  intermittent 
jerks,  like  those  of  a  doll  or  puppet. 

The  notice  hitherto  bestowed  on  Dr.  Sarrasin  by  Lord 
Glandover  had  amounted  to  no  more  than  a  slight  and 
patronising  bow ;  it  seemed  to  say — "  Good  morning,  poor 
man  ;  you  are  one  of  those  who  support  your  insignificant 
existence  by  making  insignificant  experiments  with  insig 
nificant  machines.  How  condescending  I  am  to  notice  a 
being  so  far  beneath  me  in  the  scale  of  creation  !  You 
may  sit  down,  poor  man,  beneath  the  shadow  of  my 
nobility." 

But  on  the  present  occasion  Lord  Glandover  smiled 
most  graciously  upon  Dr.  Sarrasin  as  he  entered,  and  even 
carried  his  courtesy  so  far  as  to  invite  him  by  a  sign  to  be 
seated  at  his  right  hand.  The  other  members  of  the 
Conference  all  rose  when  he  appeared  on  the  platform. 

Considerably  astonished  by  a  reception  so  flattering, 
Dr.  Sarrasin  took  the  chair  offered  to  him,  concluding  that, 
on  further  consideration,  his  invention  had  been  found  of 
much  greater  importance  than  his  scientific  brethren  had 

D 


34  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

at  first  supposed.  But  this  illusion  vanished  when  Lord 
Glandover,  leaning  towards  him  with  a  spinal  contortion  of 
his  body,  whispered  in  his  ear — 

"  I  understand  that  you  are  a  man  of  very  considerable 
property.  They  tell  me  you  are  worth  twenty-one  million 
pounds  sterling." 

This  was  said  almost  in  a  tone  of  reproach,  as  though  his 
lordship  felt  aggrieved  at  having  lightly  treated  the  equiva 
lent  in  flesh  and  blood  of  a  sum  of  money  so  vast. 

His  look  and  tone  seemed  to  say — 

"  Why  was  I  not  made  aware  of  this  ?  It  really  is  very 
unfair  to  expose  one  to  the  awkwardness  of  making  such 
mistakes ! " 

Dr.  Sarrasin,  who  could  not  in  conscience  have  said  he 
"  was  worth  "  a  penny  more  than  he  had  been  at  the  last 
meeting,  was  wondering  how  the  news  should  have  already 
become  known,  when  Dr.  Ovidius  of  Berlin,  who  sat  next 
him,  said  with  a  false  and  faint  smile — 

"  Why,  Sarrasin,  you  are  as  great  a  man  as  any  of  the 
Rothschilds ! — so  the  Daily  Telegraph  makes  out.  Let  me 
congratulate  you." 

He  handed  the  doctor  a  copy  of  the  paper  of  Thursday. 
Among  the  items  of  news  was  to  be  seen  the  following 
paragraph,  the  composition  of  which  plainly  revealed  its 
authorship. 

"A  MONSTER  HERITAGE.— The  legitimate  heir  to  the 


EFFECT   OF  AN   ITEM   OF   NEWS.  35 

fortune  of  the  late  Begum  Gokool  has  at  length  been  dis 
covered,  thanks  to  the  indefatigable  researches  of  Messrs. 
Billows,  Green  and  Sharp,  solicitors,  94,  Southampton 
Row,  London. 

"  The  fortunate  possessor  of  twenty-one  million  pounds 
sterling,  now  deposited  in  the  Bank  of  England,  is  a 
Frenchman,  Dr.  Sarrasin,  whose  able  paper,  communicated 
at  the  Brighton  Scientific  Conference,  was  reported  in  this 
journal  three  days  ago. 

"By  dint  of  a  course  of  strenuous  efforts,  and  amid 
difficulties  and  adventures  forming  in  themselves  a  perfect 
romance,  Mr.  Sharp  has  succeeded  in  proving  indisputably 
that  Dr.  Sarrasin  is  the  sole  living  descendant  of  Jean 
Jacques  Langevol,  the  second  husband  of  the  Begum 
Gokool. 

"  This  soldier  of  fortune  was,  it  appears,  a  native  of  the 
town  of  Bar-le-Duc  in  France. 

"  A  few  matters  of  form  only  required  to  be  gone  through 
in  order  to  place  Dr.  Sarrasin  in  full  possession  of  his  for 
tune.  A  petition  to  that  effect  has  been  filed  in  Chancery. 

"Very  remarkable  is  the  chain  of  circumstance  by  which 
the  treasure  accumulated  by  a  long  line  of  Indian  Rajahs 
is  laid  at  the  feet  of  a  French  physician.  The  fickle 
goddess  might  have  exhibited  the  indiscretion  she  so 
frequently  displays  in  the  disposal  of  her  gifts  ;  but  on 
this  occasion  she  has,  we  are  glad  to  say,  bestowed  this 

D  2 


36  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

prodigious  fortune  on  one  who  will  not  fail  to  make  a  good 
use  of  his  wealth." 

Oddly  enough,  as  many  might  think,  Dr.  Sarrasin  was 
vexed  to  see  his  news  made  public.  He  not  only 
foresaw  the  many  annoyances  it  would  entail  upon  him,  he 
also  felt  humbled  by  the  importance  people  seemed  to 
attach  to  the  event.  He,  himself  personally,  appeared  to 
dwindle  into  insignificance  before  the  imposing  figures 
which  denoted  his  capital.  He  was  inly  conscious  that  his 
own  personal  merits,  and  all  he  had  ever  accomplished, 
were  already,  even  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  knew  him  best, 
sunk  in  this  ocean  of  gold  and  silver. 

His  friends  no  longer  saw  in  him  the  enthusiastic 
experimentalist,  the  ingenious  inventor,  the  acute  philoso 
pher  ;  they  saw  only  the  great  millionaire. 

Had  he  been  a  hump-backed  dwarf,  an  ignorant 
Hottentot,  the  lowest  specimen  of  humanity,  instead  of 
one  of  its  most  intelligent  representatives,  his  value  would 
have  been  the  same  as  Lord  Glandover  had  expressed  it, 
he  "was  worth  "  henceforth  just  twenty-one  million  pounds, 
no  more  and  no  less. 

This  idea  sickened  him,  and  the  crowd  of  members,  staring 
with  a  searching  if  not  a  scientific  curiosity  to  see  how  a 
millionaire  looked,  remarked  with  surprise  that  a  shade  of 
melancholy  gathered  on  the  countenance  under  examination. 

This,  however,  was  only  a  passing  weakness. 


EFFECT   OF  AN  ITEM  OF  NEWS.  37 

The  magnitude  of  the  object  to  which  he  had  resolved 
to  dedicate  his  unexpected  fortune  rose  suddenly  before 
him,  and  his  serenity  was  restored. 

He  waited  until  Dr.  Stevenson,  of  Glasgow,  had  finished 
reading  a  paper  on  the  education  of  young  idiots,  and 
then  requested  leave  to  make  a  communication. 

It  was  instantly  granted  by  Lord  Glandover,  although 
the  name  of  Dr.  Ovidius  stood  next  on  the  list.  By  the 
marked  tone  of  his  voice,  he  indicated  that  he  would  have 
done  so  had  the  whole  Conference  objected,  or  had  all  the 
learned  men  in  Europe  protested  with  one  accord  against 
such  a  piece  of  favouritism. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Dr.  Sarrasin,  "  it  was  my  intention  to 
wait  for  a  few  days  before  informing  you  of  the  singular 
chance  which  has  befallen  me,  and  of  the  happy  con 
sequences  which  may  result  to  science  from  this  event. 
But,  the  fact  having  become  public,  it  would  seem  mere 
affectation  were  I  now  to  delay  speaking  of  it,  and  placing 
it  in  its  proper  light. 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,  it  is  true  that  a  large  sum  of  money,  a 
sum  amounting  to  many  millions,  now  deposited  in  the 
Bank  of  England,  appears  to  be  legally  my  property. 

"  Need  I  tell  you,  that  such  being  the  case,  I  consider 
myself  simply  as  a  steward,  entrusted  with  this  wealth  for 
the  use  and  benefit  of  science  ?  (Immense  sensation.) 
This  treasure  belongs,  not  to  me  but  to  humanity — to 


38  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

progress!  (Great  commotion — exclamations — applause. 
The  whole  assembly,  electrified  by  this  announcement, 
rise  en  massed) 

"  Do  not  applaud  me,  gentlemen ;  I  know  not  one  man  of 
science  worthy  of  the  name  who,  in  my  place,  would  not 
do  what  it  is  my  desire  to  do. 

"  It  is  possible  that  some  may  attribute  to  me  motives  of 
vanity  and  self-love  in  this  matter,  rather  than  of  genuine 
devotedness.  (No  !  No !)  It  matters  little.  Let  us  look 
to  the  results. 

"I  declare,  then,  definitively,  and  without  reservation, 
that  the  twenty-one  million  pounds  placed  in  my  hands 
belongs  not  to  me,  but  to  science !  Will  you,  gentlemen, 
undertake  the  management  and  distribution  of  it  ? 

"I  have  not  sufficient  confidence  in  my  own  knowledge  to 
undertake  the  sole  disposal  of  such  a  sum.  I  appoint  you 
as  trustees  ;  you  yourselves  shall  decide  on  the  best  means 
of  employing  all  the  treasure."  (Tumultuous  applause- 
great  excitement — general  enthusiasm.) 

The  whole  assembly  stood  up,  some  members,  in  the 
fever  of  excitement,  mounted  on  the  table.  Professor 
Turnbull,  of  Glasgow,  appeared  on  the  verge  of  apoplexy. 
Dr.  Cicogna,  of  Naples,  was  ready  to  choke. 

Lord  Glandover  alone  maintained  the  serene  and  dig 
nified  composure  befitting  his  rank.  He  was  perfectly 
convinced  that  Dr.  Sarrasin  intended  the  whole  thing  as  a 


EFFECT  OF  AN  ITEM   OF  NEWS.  39 

pleasant  jest,  without  the  smallest  intention  of  actually 
carrying  out  so  extravagant  a  scheme. 

When  quiet  was  in  some  measure  restored,  the  speaker 
continued — • 

"  If  I  may  be  permitted  to  suggest  what  it  would  be 
easy  to  develop  and  bring  to  perfection,  I  would  beg 
to  propose  the  following  plan." 

The  assembly,  recovering  its  composure,  listened  with 
reverential  attention. 

"Gentlemen,  among  the  many  causes  of  the  sickness, 
misery  and  death  which  surround  us,  is  one  to  which  I 
think  it  reasonable  to  attach  great  importance ;  and  that 
is  the  deplorable  sanitary  conditions  under  which  the 
greater  part  of  mankind  exists. 

"  Multitudes  are  massed  together  in  towns,  and  in  dwell 
ings  where  they  are  often  deprived  of  light  and  air,  the 
two  elements  most  necessary  to  life. 

"These  agglomerations  of  humanity  become  the  hot 
beds  of  fever  and  infection,  and  even  those  who  escape 
death  are  tainted  with  disease  ;  they  are  feeble  and  useless 
members  of  society,  which  thereby  suffers  great  and  serious 
loss,  instead  of  deriving  priceless  advantage  from  their 
healthful  and  vigorous  labour. 

"Why,  gentlemen,  should  we  not,  in  an  effort  to  remedy 
this  sore  evil,  try  the  most  powerful  of  all  means  of  persua 
sion — that  of  example  ? 


40  TPIE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Why  should  we  not,  by  uniting  the  powers  of  our 
minds,  produce  the  plan  of  a  model  city,  based  upon 
strictly  scientific  principles  ?  (Cries  of  Hear,  Hear.) 
Why  should  we  not  afterwards  devote  our  capital  to 
the  erection  of  such  a  city,  and  then  present  it  to 
the  world  as  a  practical  illustration  of  what  all  cities 
ought  to  be  ? "  (Hear,  Hear !  and  thunders  of  ap 
plause.) 

The  members,  in  transports  of  admiration,  shook  hands, 
and  congratulated  each  other ;  then,  surrounding  Dr. 
Sarrasin,  they  seized  upon  his  chair,  raised  him  up,  and 
bore  him  triumphantly  round  the  hall. 

"  Gentlemen,"  continued  the  doctor,  on  being  permitted 
to  resume  his  place ;  "  to  this  city,  which  every  one  of  us 
can  already  picture  in  imagination,  and  which  may  shortly 
become  a  reality — to  this  city  of  health  and  happiness 
we  will  call  universal  attention  by  descriptions,  translated 
into  all  the  languages  of  the  earth  ;  we  will  invite  visitors 
from  every  nation ;  we  will  offer  it  as  a  home  and  refuge 
for  honest  families  forced  to  emigrate  from  over-populated 
countries. 

"Those  unfortunate  people,  also,  who  are  driven  into  exile 
by  foreign  conquest  (can  you  wonder,  gentlemen,  that  I 
think  of  them  ?)  will  find  with  us  employment  for  their 
activity,  and  scope  for  their  intelligence,  while  they  will 
enrich  our  colony  by  their  moral  virtue  and  intellectual 


Chairing  the  Doctor. 


Page  40. 


EFFECT   OF  AN   ITEM   OF   NEWS.  41 

strength — possessions  of  far  higher  value  than  gold  •  or 
precious  stones. 

"  We  will  found  great  colleges  where  youth  will  be  trained 
and  educated  in  principles  based  on  the  truest  wisdom,  so 
as  to  develop  and  justly  balance  their  moral,  physical, 
and  intellectual  faculties,  thus  preparing  future  generations 
of  strong  and  virtuous  men." 

No  language  can  describe  the  tumult  of  enthusiasm 
which  followed  this  communication.  For  at  least  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  the  hall  resounded  with  a  storm  of 
cheering  and  hurrahs. 

Dr.  Sarrasin  sat  down,  and  Lord  Glandover,  once  more 
leaning  towards  him,  murmured  in  his  ear  with  a  knowing 
wink — 

"  Not  a  bad  speculation  that !  what  a  revenue  you 
would  draw  from  the  tolls — eh  ?  The  thing  would  be  sure 
to  succeed,  provided  it  were  well  started  and  backed  up  by 
influential  names.  Why,  all  our  convalescents  and  valetu 
dinarians  would  be  for  settling  there  at  once !  Be  sure 
you  put  down  my  name  for  a  good  building  lot,  doctor ! " 

Poor  Dr.  Sarrasin  was  quite  mortified  by  this  determina 
tion  to  attribute  his  actions  to  a  covetous  motive,  and  was 
about  to  reply  to  his  lordship,  when  he  heard  the  vice- 
president  move  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  author  of  the 
philanthropic  proposal  just  submitted  to  the  assembly. 

"  It  would,"  he  said,  "  be  to  the  eternal  honour  of  the 


42  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


Brighton  Conference,  that  an  idea  so  sublime  had  been 
originated  there.  It  was  an  idea  which  nothing  short  of 
the  most  exalted  benevolence  and  the  rarest  generosity 
could  have  conceived.  And  yet,  now  that  the  idea  had 
been  suggested,  it  seemed  almost  a  wonder  that  it  had 
never  before  occurred  to  any  one. 

"Millions  had  been  lavished  on  senseless  wars,  vast 
capitals  squandered  in  foolish  speculations  ;  how  infinitely 
better  spent  they  might  have  been  in  the  furtherance  of 
such  a  scheme  as  this  !  " 

The  speaker,  in  conclusion,  proposed  "  That,  in  honour 
of  its  founder,  the  new  city  should  receive  the  name  of 
Sarrasina." 

This  motion  would  have  been  carried  by  acclamation, 
but  Dr.  Sarrasin  interposed — 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  my  name  has  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  this  scheme.  Neither  let  us  bestow  on  the  future 
city  a  fancy  name  derived  from  Greek  or  Latin,  such  as 
is  often  invented,  and  gives  an  air  of  affectation  and 
peculiarity  to  whatever  bears  it.  It  will  be  the  city  of 
welfare  and  comfort,  let  it  be  named  after  my  country. 
Let  us  call  it  Frankville ! " 

Every  one  agreed  to  gratify  Dr.  Sarrasin  in  this  by 
acceding  to  his  choice,  and  the  first  step  was  thus  taken 
towards  the  founding  of  the  city. 

The  meeting  then  proceeded  to  the  discussion  of  other 


Professor  Schultz  and  his  man. 


EFFECT  OF  AN   ITEM   OF  NEWS.  43 

points,  and  to  this  practical  occupation,  so  unlike  those  to 
which  it  was  usually  devoted,  we  will  leave  it,  while  we 
follow  the  wandering  fortunes  of  the  paragraph  published 
in  the  Daily  Telegraph. 

Copied  word  for  word  by  all  the  newspapers,  the 
information  contained  in  this  little  paragraph  was  soon 
blazed  abroad,  over  every  county  in  England.  In  the 
Hull  Gazette  it  figured  at  the  top  of  the  second  page  in 
a  copy  of  that  modest  journal  which,  on  the  first  of 
November,  arrived  at  Rotterdam  on  board  the  three- 
masted  collier  Queen  Mary. 

The  active  scissors  of  the  editor  of  the  Belgian  Echo 
pounced  upon  it  at  once,  it  was  speedily  translated  into 
Flemish  (the  language  of  Cuyp  and  Potter),  and  on  the 
wings  of  steam  it  reached  the  Bremen  Chronicle  on  the 
2nd  of  November.  In  that  paper  our  bit  of  news  next 
appeared,  the  same  in  substance,  but  clothed  in  a  garb  of 
German,  the  artful  editor  adding  in  parenthesis  "  from  our 
Brighton  correspondent." 

The  anecdote,  now  thoroughly  Germanised,  reached  the 
office  of  the  editor  of  the  Northern  Gazette,  and  that  great 
man  gave  it  a  place  in  the  second  column  of  his  third  page. 

On  the  evening  of  the  3rd  of  November,  after  passing 
through  these  various  transformations,  it  made  its  entrance, 
between  the  fat  hands  of  a  stout  serving  man,  into  the 
study  of  Professor  Schultz  of  the  University  of  Jena. 


44  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

High  as  this  personage  stood  in  the  scale  of  humanity, 
he  presented  nothing  remarkable  to  the  eye  of  a 
stranger. 

He  was  a  man  of  five  or  six  and  forty,  strongly  built, 
his  square  shoulders  denoting  a"  robust  constitution  ;  his 
forehead  was  bald,  the  little  hair  remaining  on  his  temples 
and  behind  his  head  suggested  the  idea  that  they  consisted 
of  threads  of  tow.  His  eyes  were  blue,  that  vague  blue 
which  never  betrays  a  thought.  Professor  Schultz  had  a 
largo  mouth,  garnished  with  a  double  row  of  formidable 
teeth  which  would  never  drop  their  prey ;  thin  lips  closed 
over  them,  whose  principal  employment  was  to  keep  note 
of  the  words  which  passed  between  them. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  professor  was  decidedly 
unpleasant  to  others,  but  he  himself  was  evidently  perfectly 
satisfied  with  it.  , 

On  hearing  his  servant  enter,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  a  very 
pretty  clock  over  the  mantel-piece  which  looked  out  of 
place  among  a  number  of  vulgar  articles  around  it,  and 
said  in  a  quick,  rough  voice — 

"6.55!  The  post  comes  in  at  6.30.  You  bring  my 
letters  too  late  by  twenty-five  minutes.  The  next  time 
they  are  not  on  my  table  at  6 . 30  you  quit  my  service." 

"  Will  you  please  to  dine  now,  sir  ?  "  asked  the  man  as 
he  withdrew. 

"It  is  now  6.55,  and  I  dine  at  seven.     You  have  been 


EFFECT   OF  AN   ITEM   OF  NEWS.  45, 

here  for  three  weeks,  and  you  know  that.  Recollect  that  I 
never  change  an  hour,  and  never  repeat  an  order." 

The  professor  laid  his  newspaper  on  the  table,  and  went 
on  writing  a  treatise  which  was  to  appear  next  day  in 
*  Physiological  Records,'  a  periodical  to  which  he  contributed. 
We  may  be  permitted  to  state  that  this  treatise  was  en 
titled — "  Why  are  all  Frenchmen  affected  by  different  degrees 
of  hereditary  degeneracy  ?  " 

As  the  professor  pursued  his  task,  his  dinner,  consisting 
of  a  large  dish  of  sausages  and  cabbage,  flanked  by  a  huge 
flagon  of  beer,  was  carefully  placed  on  a  round  table  near 
the  fire. 

He  laid  aside  his  pen  in  order  to  partake  of  this  repast, 
which  he  did  with  greater  appearance  of  enjoyment  than 
might  have  been  expected  from  so  grave  an  individual. 
Then  he  rang  for  coffee,  lighted  his  pipe,  and  resumed  his 
labours. 

It  was  after  midnight  when  he  signed  his  name  on  the 
last  page,  and  retired  at  once  to  his  bedroom  to  enjoy  a 
well-earned  repose. 

Not  till  he  was  in  bed  did  he  take  his  paper  from  its 
cover,  and  begin  to  read  before  going  to  sleep.  Just  as 
the  professor  was  becoming  drowsy,  his  eye  was  caught  by 
a  foreign  name,  that  of  "Langevol,"  in  the  paragraph 
relating  to  the  "  Monster  Heritage."  He  tried  to  call  to 
mind  clearly  the  vague  recollections  to  which  this  name 


46  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

gave  rise.  After  a  few  minutes  vainly  devoted  to  efforts 
of  memory,  he  threw  away  the  journal,  blew  out  his  candle, 
and  loud  snores  quickly  gave  notice  that  he  slept. 

By  a  physiological  phenomenon,  which  he  himself  had 
studied  and  explained  at  great  length,  this  name  of 
Langevol  followed  Professor  Schultz  even  in  his  dreams. 
The  consequence  was  that  on  awaking  next  morning,  he 
found  himself  mechanically  repeating  it. 

All  at  once,  just  as  he  was  going  to  look  at  his  watch,  a 
sudden  light  broke  upon  him. 

Snatching  up  the  newspaper  at  the  foot  of  his  bed,  he 
read  again  and  again,  with  his  hand  pressed  on  his  forehead, 
the  paragraph  which  he  had  all  but  missed  seeing  the  night 
before.  The  light  was  evidently  spreading  to  his  brain, 
for  without  waiting  to  put  on  his  flowered  dressing-gown, 
he  hurried  to  the  fireplace,  took  a  small  miniature  portrait 
from  the  wall  by  the  mirror,  and  turning  it  round,  passed 
his  sleeve  across  the  dusty  pasteboard  at  the  back. 

The  professor  was  right.  Behind  the  picture  he  read 
the  following  German  words,  traced  in  faded  ink : 

"  Therese  Schultz,  eine  geborene  Langevol,"  which  means, 
"  Theresa  Schultz,  whose  maiden  name  was  Langevol." 

That  evening  the  professor  was  in  the  express  train  on 
his  way  to  London, 


The  Langevol  business. 


Page  47- 


TWO   CLAIMANTS.  47 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TWO   CLAIMANTS. 

ON  the  6th  November,  at  7  A.M.,  Professor  Schultz 
arrived  at  the  Charing  Cross  Station.  At  noon  he  presented 
himself  at  No  94,  Southampton  Row,  entering  a  large  room 
divided  by  a  wooden  barrier,  one  side  being  for  the  clerks, 
the  other  for  the  public.  In  it  there  were  six  chairs,  a  table, 
numberless  green  tin  boxes,  and  a  London  Directory.  Two 
young  men,  seated  at  the  table,  were  quietly  eating  the  tradi 
tional  luncheon  of  bread  and  cheese  usual  with  their  class. 

"  Messrs.  Billows,  Green,  and  Sharp  ?"  said  the  professor, 
in  the  tone  of  a  man  calling  for  his  dinner. 

"Mr.  Sharp  is  in  his  private  room — what  name?  On 
what  business  ?" 

"  Professor  Schultz,  of  Jena.    On  the  Langevol  business." 

This  information  was  murmured  into  the  speaking-tube 
by  the  young  clerk ;  a  reply  being  returned  into  his  ear 
which  he  did  not  choose  to  repeat — 


48  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

.  "  Hang  the  Langevol  business !  Another  fool  come  to 
put  in  a  claim  !" 

Clerk's  answer — 

"This  man  seems  respectable  enough.  Does  not  look 
exactly  agreeable  though." 

Another  mysterious  whisper  conveyed  the  words — 

"  And  he  comes  from  Germany." 

"  So  he  says." 

With  a  sigh  came  the  order — 

"  Send  him  upstairs." 

"Second  story,  door  facing  you,"  said  the  clerk  aloud, 
pointing  to  an  inner  entrance. 

The  professor  plunged  into  the  passage,  mounted  the  stairs, 
and  found  himself  opposite  a  green  baize  door,  on  which  the 
name  of  Mr.  Sharp  stood  out  in  black  letters  on  a  brass  plate. 

That  personage  was  seated  at  a  large  mahogany  writing- 
table,  in  a  common-looking  room,  with  a  felt  carpet,  leather 
chairs,  and  many  open  boxes. 

He  half  rose  from  his  seat,  and  then,  according  to  the 
polite  fashion  of  business  men,  began  to  rummage  amongst 
his  papers  for  several  minutes  to  show  how  busy  he  was. 
At  last,  turning  to  Professor  Schultz  who  remained  standing 
near  him,  he  said — 

"  Have  the  goodness,  sir,  to  tell  me  your  business  here  in 
as  few  words  as  possible.  My  time  is  limited  ;  I  can  give 
you  but  a  very  few  minutes." 


TWO   CLAIMANTS.  49 


The  professor  smiled  slightly,  evidently  not  at  all  put 
out  by  the  way  he  was  received. 

"  Perhaps,"  he  said,  "  when  you  know  what  brings  me 
here,  you  will  think  it  advisable  to  grant  me  a  few  minutes 
more." 

"  Proceed,  sir." 

"My  business  relates  to  the  inheritance  left  by  Jean 
Jacques  Langevol,  of  Bar-le-Duc.  I  am  the  grandson  of 
the  elder  sister,  Theresa  Langevol,  who  married  in  1792 
rny  grandfather,  Martin  Schultz,  a  surgeon  in  the  army  of 
Brunswick;  he  died  in  1814.  I  have  in  my  possession  three 
letters  from  my  great-uncle,  written  to  his  sister,  and  many 
.accounts  of  his  return  home  after  the  battle  of  Jena,  besides 
the  legal  documents  which  prove  my  birth." 

We  need  not  follow  Professor  Schultz  through  the  prolix 
explanations  which  he  gave  to  Mr.  Sharp.  On  this  point 
he  seemed,  contrary  to  his  nature,  quite  inexhaustible. 
His  aim  was  to  demonstrate  to  this  Englishman,  this  Mr. 
.Sharp,  that  by  rights  the  German  race  should,  in  all  things, 
predominate  over  all  others.  His  object  in  putting  forward 
a  claim  to  this  inheritance  was  chiefly  that  it  might  be 
snatched  from  French  hands,  which  could  not  fail  to  make 
a  silly  use  of  it.  What  he  hated  in  his  rival  was  his 
nationality.  Had  he  been  a  German  he  certainly  should 
not  have  interfered,  &c.,  &c. 

But  that  a  Frenchman — a  would-be  "  savant ;) — should 

E 


So  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

have  this  enormous  wealth  to  spend  upon  French  fancies, 
was  distracting  to  his  feelings,  and  he  considered  it  his 
duty  to  contest  his  right  to  it  at  all  costs. 

At  first  sight,  the  connection  between  these  political 
opinions  and  the  opulent  inheritance  in  question  was  not 
very  clear.  But  the  experienced  eye  of  the  man  of  business 
plainly  detected  the  relation  which  patriotic  ambition  for 
the  advantage  of  the  German  nation  generally,  bore  to  the 
private  interests  of  Professor  Schultz  individually.  He 
saw  that  this  apparently  double  aim  had  in  reality  but  one 
motive. 

There  was  no  doubt  about  it.  However  humiliating  it 
might  be  for  a  professor  of  the  University  of  Jena  to  be 
connected  with  beings  of  an  inferior  race,  it  was  evident 
that  a  French  ancestress  had  had  a  share  in  the  responsi 
bility  of  giving  to  the  world  this  matchless  human  being. 

But  this  relationship  being  in  a  secondary  degree  to  that 
of  Doctor  Sarrasin,  would  only  give  secondary  rights  to  the 
said  inheritance.  The  solicitor  perceived,  however,  the 
possibility  of  lawfully  sustaining  them,  and  in  this  possibility 
he  foresaw  another  which  would  be  much  to  the  advantage 
of  Billows,  Green,  and  Sharp,  something  which  would 
change  the  Langevol  affair,  already  productive,  into  a  very 
good  thing,  indeed,  a  second  case  of  the  "  Jarndyce  versus 
Jarndyce"  of  Dickens.  An  extensive  horizon  of  stamped 
paper,  deeds,  documents  of  all  sorts,  rose  before  the  eyes  of 


TWO   CLAIMANTS.  51 


the  man  of  law ;  and,  what  was  worth  more,  he  saw  a 
compromise  conducted  by  himself,  Sharp,  to  the  interest  of 
both  his  clients,  which  would  bring  to  himself  equal  parts 
of  honour  and  profit. 

In  the  meanwhile  he  made  known  to  Professor  Schultz 
the  claims  of  Doctor  Sarrasin,  gave  him  proofs  in  corrobo- 
ration,  and  insinuated  that  if  Billows,  Green,  and  Sharp 
undertook  to  make  something  advantageous  for  the  professor 
out  of  the  claims,  "shadowy  though  they  are,  my  dear  sir, 
it  would,  I  fear,  not  hold  water  in  a  lawsuit,"  which  his 
relationship  to  the  doctor  gave  him — he  hoped  that  the 
remarkable  sense  of  justice,  possessed  by  all  Germans, 
would  admit  that  to  Messrs.  Billows,  Green,  and  Sharp,  he, 
the  professor,  owed  a  large  debt  of  gratitude. 

The  latter  was  practical  enough  to  understand  the  drift 
of  this  argument,  and  soon  put  the  mind  of  the  business 
man  at  rest  on  this  point,  though  without  committing 
himself  in  any  way.  Mr.  Sharp  politely  begged  permission 
to  examine  into  the  affair  at  his  leisure,  showed  him  out 
with  marked  respect,  nothing  more  having  been  said  as 
to  the  very  limited  time  of  which  before  he  had  been 
so  sparing. 

Professor  Schultz  retired  convinced  that  he  had  no 
sufficient  claim  to  put  forward  for  the  Begum's  inheritance, 
but  all  the  same  persuaded  that  a  struggle  between  the 
Saxon  and  Latin  races,  besides  being  always  meritorious, 

E  2 


52  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

would  not  fail,  if  set  about  properly,  to  turn  to  the  advantage 
of  the  former. 

The  next  important  step  was  to  get  Dr.  Sarrasin's 
opinion  on  the  subject  A  telegram  despatched  immediately 
to  Brighton  had  the  effect  of  bringing  that  gentleman  to 
Mr.  Sharp's  office  by  five  o'clock. 

Dr.  Sarrasin  heard  all  that  had  occurred  with  a  calmness 
which  astonished  the  solicitor.  He  frankly  declared  that 
he  perfectly  remembered  a  tradition  in  his  family  of  a  great- 
aunt  brought  up  by  a  rich  and  titled  lady,  who  had  emi 
grated  with  her,  and  who  had  married  in  Germany.  He 
knew  neither  the  name  nor  the  exact  degree  of  relationship 
of  this  great-aunt. 

Mr.  Sharp  was  busily  looking  over  his  notes,  carefully 
numbered  in  portfolios,  which  he  now  exhibited  with  con 
siderable  complacency  to  the  doctor. 

There  was — Mr.  Sharp  did  not  seek  to  hide  it — matter 
for  a  lawsuit,  and  lawsuits  of  this  character  may  easily 
be  lengthened  out.  Indeed,  it  was  not  at  all  necessary  to 
acknowledge  to  the  adverse  party  that  family  tradition 
which  Doctor  Sarrasin  had  in  his  honesty  just  now  con 
fided  to  his  solicitor.  To  be  sure,  there  were  those  letters 
from  Jean  Jacques  Langevol  to  his  sister,  of  which  Pro 
fessor  Schultz  had  spoken,  and  which  were  a  point  in  his 
favour.  A  very  small  point  indeed,  destitute  of  any  legal 
character,  but  still  a  point — no  doubt  other  proofs  would 


TWO  CLAIMANTS.  53 


be  exhumed  from  the  dust  of  municipal  archives.  Perhaps 
even  the  adverse  party,  in  default  of  authentic  documents, 
would  even  dare  to  manufacture  false  ones.  Everything 
must  be  foreseen.  Who  knew  but  that  fresh  investigations 
might  assign  to  this  Therese  Langevol  and  her  descendants, 
who  had  suddenly  started  up,  superior  claims  to  Dr. 
Sarrasin's  ?  In  any  case,  there  would  be  long  disputes, 
tedious  examinations — no  end  of  them.  There  was  good 
hope  of  success  for  both  sides,  each  could  easily  form  a 
limited  liability  company  to  advance  the  cost  of  the  pro 
ceedings  and  exhaust  all  the  pleas  of  jurisdiction. 

A  celebrated  suit  of  the  same  sort  had  been  in  the  Court 
of  Chancery  for  eighty-three  consecutive  years,  and  was 
only  ended  at  last  for  want  of  funds — interest  and  capital, 
all  had  gone  !  What  with  inquiries,  commissions,  transfers, 
the  proceedings  would  take  an  indefinite  period  !  In  ten 
years'  time  the  question  would  probably  be  still  undecided, 
and  the  twenty-one  millions  still  sleeping  quietly  in  the 
Bank. 

Dr.  Sarrasin  listened  to  this  long-winded  oration,  and 
wondered  when  it  would  come  to  an  end.  Without  taking 
for  gospel  all  that  he  heard,  he  felt  a  kind  of  chilly  dis 
couragement  creeping  over  him,  as  a  voyager  gazes  from 
the  ship's  bows  at  the  port  to  which  he  believes  himself 
approaching,  but  sees  it  growing  less  and  less  distinct,  and 
finally  disappearing  as  his  vessel  drifts  away  from  the 


54  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

land.  He  told  himself  that  it  was  not  impossible  that  this 
fortune  just  now  so  near,  and  for  which  he  had  already 
found  a  use,  would  end  by  slipping  from  his  grasp,  and 
fade  away. 

"  Then  what  is  to  be  done  ? "  he  asked  of  the  solicitor. 

"  What  is  to  be  done  ? — Hem  ! — That  was  difficult  to 
say,  more  difficult  still  to  decide  ;  but  no  doubt  everything 
would  be  arranged  in  the  end.  He,  Sharp,  was  certain  of 
that.  English  law  was  excellent,  a  leetle  slow  perhaps, 
he  could  not  help  saying  so — yes,  decidedly  slow,  pcde 
claudo — hem  ! — hem  ! — but  all  the  more  sure.  Assuredly 
Doctor  Sarrasin  could  not  fail  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
to  be  in  possession  of  this  inheritance,  always  supposing — 
hem  ! — hem  ! — his  claims  sufficient !  " 

The  doctor  issued  from  the  office  in  Southampton  Row 
very  much  shaken  in  his  confidence,  and  convinced  that  he 
must  either  plunge  into  an  interminable  lawsuit  or  give 
up  his  dream.  The  thoughts  that  his  fine  philanthropic 
scheme  must  come  to  nothing  gave  him  keen  pain. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Sharp  sent  for  Professor  Schultz, 
who  had  left  his  address.  He  told  him  that  Dr.  Sarrasin 
had  never  heard  of  Therese  Langevol,  denied  the  existence 
of  a  German  branch  of  the  family,  and  rejected  any  idea  of 
a  compromise.  There  was  nothing  that  the  professor  could 
do,  therefore,  if  he  believed  his  right  well  established,  but  to 
go  to  law.  From  this,  Mr.  Sharp,  who  was  perfectly  dis- 


TWO  CLAIMANTS.  55 


interested  of  course,  and  was  a  mere  spectator  in  the 
matter,  had  no  intention  of  dissuading  him.  What  more 
could  a  solicitor  wish  than  a  lawsuit  of  perhaps  thirty 
years,  and  not  knowing  to  what  it  might  lead  them.  He 
personally  would  be  delighted.  If  he  had  not  feared  that 
Professor  Schultz  would  think  it  suspicious  on  his  part, 
he  would  have  pushed  his  disinterestedness  so  far  as  to 
recommend  to  him  one  of  his  legal  brethren,  who  would 
look  after  his  interests.  And,  indeed,  the  choice  was 
an  important  one !  The  path  of  law  had  now  become 
a  regular  high  road ! — swarming  with  adventurers  and 
robbers ! — he  owned  this  shameful  fact,  though  with  a 
blush ! 

"  Supposing  the  French  doctor  was  willing  to  arrange 
the  matter,  how  much  would  it  cost  ? "  asked  the  professor. 

Being  a  wise  man,  words  could  not  confuse  him — being 
a  practical  man,  he  went  straight  to  the  point  without 
wasting  any  precious  time  on  the  way.  Mr.  Sharp  was 
rather  disconcerted  by  this  mode  of  action.  He  represented 
to  Professor  Schultz  that  business  did  not  go  on  so  quickly 
as  all  that ;  that  no  one  could  see  the  end,  when  as  yet 
they  were  just  at  the  beginning  ;  that  in  order  to  bring  Dr. 
Sarrasin  to  terms  they  must  protract  the  business,  so  as  not 
to  allow  him  to  see  that  he,  Schultz,  was  at  all  eager  to 
compromise  matters. 

"  I  beg,  sir,"  he  concluded,  "  that  you  will  leave  it  to  me ; 


56  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

put  yourself  in  my  hands,  and  I  will  be  answerable  for 
everything." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Schultz,  "  but  I  should  much  like 
to  know  what  I  have  to  expect." 

However,  he  could  not  ascertain  from  Mr.  Sharp  the 
price  at  which  the  solicitor  valued  Saxon  gratitude,  and 
was  therefore  obliged  to  give  him  carte  blanche  in  the 
matter. 

When  Dr.  Sarrasin  appeared  next  day  in  answer  to  Mr. 
Sharp's  summons,  and  quietly  asked  if  he  had  any 
particular  news  for  him,  the  solicitor,  alarmed  at  his 
calmness,  informed  him  that  a  serious  examination  had 
convinced  him  that  the  better  plan  would  be  to  nip  the 
threatened  danger  in  the  bud,  and  propose  to  compromise 
with  this  new  claimant.  Dr.  Sarrasin  must  agree  with  him 
that  this  was  essentially  disinterested  advice,  and  what  few 
solicitors  in  Mr.  Sharp's  place  would  have  given.  But  he  felt 
quite  a  paternal  interest  in  the  affair,  and  his  pride  was 
concerned  in  bringing  it  to  a  speedy  conclusion. 

The  doctor  listened  and  thought  all  this  sensible  enough. 
During  the  last  few  days  he  had  become  so  accustomed  to 
the  idea  of  immediately  realising  his  scientific  dream  that 
everything  gave  way  to  it.  To  wait  ten  years,  or  even  one 
year  before  he  had  it  in  his  power,  would  have  been  a  cruel 
trial  to  him.  Without  being  taken  in  by  Mr.  Sharp's  fine 
speeches,  although  little  familiar  with  legal  and  financial 


TWO   CLAIMANTS.  57 


questions,  he  would  have  cheerfully  given  up  his  claims  for 
a  sum  paid  down  in  ready  money  sufficient  to  enable  him 
to  pass  at  once  from  theory  to  practice.  He  also,  therefore, 
at  once,  gave  carte  blanche  to  Mr.  Sharp,  and  departed. 

The  solicitor  had  now  got  what  he  wanted.  It  was 
quite  true  that  perhaps  another  might  in  his  place  have 
yielded  to  the  temptation  of  beginning  and  prolonging  a 
lawsuit  which  would  bring  in  a  considerable  annuity  to  his 
business.  But  Mr.  Sharp  was  not  a  man  who  cared  for 
this  kind  of  speculation. 

He  saw  close  to  his  hand  a  way  by  which  he  could  reap 
an  abundant  harvest,  and  he  resolved  to  seize  it.  The  next 
day  he  wrote  to  the  doctor  that  he  believed  Herr  Schultz 
was  not  opposed  to  a  compromise.  In  subsequent  visits 
made  by  him  to  the  doctor  and  professor,  he  told  them 
alternately,  that  the  adverse  party  would  say  nothing 
decided,  and  that,  in  addition,  a  third  candidate,  attracted 
by  the  scent,  was  talked  of. 

This  little  game  went  on  for  a  week.  In  the  morning  all 
was  going  well,  but  by  the  evening  an  unforeseen  objection 
had  suddenly  arisen  to  upset  everything.  The  honest  doctor 
was  incessantly  troubled  by  doubts,  fears,  and  changes  of 
mind.  Mr.  Sharp  could  not  bring  himself  to  hook  his  fish, 
he  so  greatly  feared  that  at  the  last  he  would  struggle  and 
snap  the  line.  But  so  many  precautions  were,  in  this  case, 
quite  superfluous.  From  the  very  first  day  Dr.  Sarrasin* 


58  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

who  would  have  done  anything  to  spare  himself  the  trouble 
of  a  lawsuit,  was  ready  for  any  arrangement.  When  at 
last  Mr.  Sharp  thought  that  the  psychological  moment,  to 
use  the  celebrated  expression,  had  arrived,  or  in  less  exalted 
language,  that  his  client  was  done  to  a  turn,  he  suddenly 
unmasked  his  batteries,  and  proposed  an  immediate  com 
promise. 

A  benevolent  man  then  appeared — the  banker,  Stilbing — 
who  proposed  to  split  the  difference,  to  give  to  each  ten 
millions,  and  merely  have  for  commission  the  surplus 
million. 

Dr.  Sarrasin  could  have  embraced  Mr.  Sharp  when  he 
made  him  this  proposal ;  it  seemed  splendid  to  him. 
He  was  ready  and  eager  to  sign.  He  would  have 
liked  to  put  up  in  the  market  place  of  the  proposed 
city  golden  statues  to  the  banker  Stilbing,  to  the  solicitor 
Sharp,  to  the  bank  and  to  all  the  lawyers  in  the  United 
Kingdom. 

The  documents  were  drawn  up,  and  everything  was 
ready.  Professor  Schultz  had  surrendered — Mr.  Sharp 
assuring  him  that,  with  a  less  easy-tempered  adversary  he 
would  certainly  have  had  all  costs  to  pay.  So  it  was 
settled.  The  two  heirs  each  received  a  cheque  for  a 
hundred  thousand  pounds,  payable  at  sight,  and  a  promise 
of  a  definite  settlement  after  all  the  legal  formalities  had 
been  gone  through. 


"  We've  got  the  best  of  it  this  time!" 


59- 


TWO   CLAIMANTS.  59 

Thus  was  this  wonderful  affair  settled,  to  the  great  glory 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  ! 

We  are  assured  that,  that  same  evening,  whilst  dining  at 
the  Cobden  Club  with  his  friend  Stilbing,  Mr.  Sharp  drank 
a  glass  of  champagne  to  the  health  of  Dr.  Sarrasin,  another 
to  Professor  Schultz,  and  then,  as  he  finished  the  bottle, 
gave  way  to  this  somewhat  indiscreet  exclamation — 

"  Hurrah !  Rule  Britannia  !  We've  got  the  best  of  it 
this  time!" 

The  truth  is,  that  the  banker  Stilbing  considered  his 
friend  rather  stupid  for  not  having  made  a  great  deal  more 
out  of  the  business,  and  in  his  heart  the  professor  had 
thought  the  same,  from  the  moment  in  which  he  had  felt 
himself  obliged  to  agree  to  any  arrangement  that  was 
offered.  What  could  not  have  been  done  with  a  man  like 
Dr.  Sarrasin,  a  Celt,  careless,  thoughtless,  and  very  certainly 
visionary ! 

The  professor  had  heard  of  his  rival's  project  of  founding 
a  French  town,  under  such  moral  and  physical  conditions 
as  would  develop  the  qualities  of  the  race,  and  form  strong 
and  brave  generations. 

This  enterprise  appeared  to  him  absurd,  and,  to  his  ideas, 
sure  to  fail,  as  it  opposed  the  law  of  progress,  which  decreed 
the  uprooting  of  the  Latin  race,  its  subjection  to  the  Saxon, 
and  eventually  its  disappearance  from  the  surface  of  the 
globe.  However,  these  results  might  be  held  in  check  if 


60  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

the  doctor's  programme  began  to  be  realised,  and  so  much 
the  more  if  there  was  any  prospect  of  its  success.  It  was, 
therefore,  the  duty  of  every  true  Saxon,  in  the  interest  of 
general  order,  to  obey  this  appointed  law,  and  bring  to 
nothing,  if  he  could,  this  insane  enterprise.  Under  the 
circumstances  it  was  quite  clear  that  he,  Schultz,  M.D., 
privat  decent  of  chemistry  in  Jena  University,  known  by 
his  numerous  works  on  the  different  human  races, — works 
in  which  it  was  proved  that  the  German  race  was  to  absorb 
all  others — it  was  quite  clear  that  he  was  particularly 
designed  by  the  great  creative  and  destructive  force  of 
nature  to  annihilate  the  pigmies  who  were  struggling  against 
it.  From  the  very  beginning  it  had  been  ordained  that 
Therese  Langevol  would  marry  Martin  Schultz,  and  that 
one  day,  the  two  nationalities  meeting  in  the  persons  of 
the  French  doctor  and  the  German  professor,  the  latter 
would  crush  the  former.  Already  he  had  in  his  possession 
half  the  doctor's  fortune, — this  was  the  weapon  he  was  to 
wield. 

This  project  was  but  a  secondary  one  to  Professor 
Schultz  at  present ;  he  merely  added  it  to  others  still 
more  vast  which  he  had  formed  for  the  destruction  of  all 
nations  who  refused  to  blend  themselves  with  the  German 
people  and  be  united  with  the  Vaterland.  However,  wishing 
to  explore  to  the  end — if  so  be  that  they  had  an  end— of 
Dr.  Sarrasin's  plans,  he  attended  all  the  meetings  of  the 


TWO   CLAIMANTS.  6 1 

Congress.  As  several  members,  with  Doctor  Sarrasin 
himself  among  them,  were  leaving  the  meeting,  the  professor 
was  overheard  to  make  this  declaration  :  that  he  would 
found  at  the  same  time  as  Frankville,  a  city  strong  enough 
to  put  an  end  to  that  absurd  and  abnormal  ant-hill. 

"  I  hope,"  he  added,  "  that  the  experiment  we  shall  make 
will  serve  as  an  example  to  all  the  world  !" 

Although  good  Doctor  Sarrasin  was  so  full  of  love  to  all 
mankind,  he  had  lived  long  enough  to  know  that  all  his 
fellow-creatures  did  not  deserve  the  name  of  philanthropists. 
He  noted,  however,  this  speech  of  his  adversary,  thinking 
like  a  sensible  man  that  no  threat  ought  to  be  neglected. 
Some  time  afterwards,  writing  to  Max  to  invite  him  to  aid 
in  his  enterprise,  he  mentioned  this  incident  and  described 
Herr  Schultz  so  accurately  that  the  young  Alsacian  was 
certain  the  doctor  had  in  him  a  formidable  adversary.  The 
doctor  added — 

"We  shall  need  bold  and  energetic  men,  of  practical 
information,  not  only  to  build,  but  to  defend  us." 

Max  answered — 

"  Although  I  cannot  immediately  give  my  co-operation 
to  the  founding  of  your  city,  you  may  depend  on  finding 
me  when  the  right  time  comes.  I  shall  not  lose  sight  for 
a  single  day  of  this  Professor  Schultz  whom  you  have 
described  so  well.  My  Alsacian  birth  gives  me  the  right 
to  know  about  his  affairs.  Whether  I  am  near  you  or  far 


62  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


away,  I  am  devoted  to  you.  If  by  any  unforeseen  chance 
you  should  be  some  months,  or  even  years,  without  hearing 
from  me,  do  not  be  uneasy.  Whether  I  am  near  you  or 
far  away,  I  shall  have  but  one  thought,  to  work  for  you, 
and  consequently  to  serve  France." 


STAHLSTADT.  63 


CHAPTER   V. 

STAHLSTADT. 

WE  must  take  a  leap  through  time  and  space.  Five 
years  have  elapsed  since  the  two  heirs  took  possession  of 
the  Begum's  inheritance.  The  scene  lies  in  the  United 
States,  to  the  south  of  Oregon,  ten  leagues  from  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific.  The  district  is  mountainous,  its  northern 
limits  as  yet  barely  defined  by  the  two  neighbouring 
powers. 

A  merely  superficial  spectator  might  call  it  the  American 
Switzerland,  with  its  abrupt  peaks  rising  above  the  clouds,, 
its  deep  valleys  dividing  the  heights,  its  aspect  at  once 
grand  and  wild. 

But,  unlike  the  European  Switzerland,  it  is  not  given  up 
to  the  peaceful  industries  of  the  shepherd,  the  guide,  and 
the  hotel-keeper.  It  has  Alpine  decorations  only,  just  a 
crust  of  rocks,  and  earth  and  venerable  pines  spread  over 
a  mass  of  iron  and  coal. 


64  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Should  the  traveller  through  these  solitudes  stay  on  his 
way  to  listen  awhile  to  the  voice  of  nature,  he  would  not, 
as  on  the  slopes  of  the  Oberland,  hear  the  gentle  murmurs 
of  insect  life,  or  the  herd-boy's  call,  enhancing  the  silence 
of  the  mountain.  £)n  his  ear  in  this  wild  spot  would  fall 
the  heavy  sound  of  the  steam  hammer,  and  under  his  feet 
would  echo  the  muffled  explosions  of  powder. 

He  would  feel  as  if  the  ground  was  as  full  of  trap-doors 
as  the  stage  of  a  theatre,  and  that  at  any  moment  even  the 
huge  rocks  might  sink  and  disappear  into  unknown  depths. 

Dreary  roads,  black  with  cinders  and  coke,  wind  round 
the  sides  of  the  mountains. 

Heaps  of  variegated  scoria,  which  the  scanty  herbage 
fails  to  cover,  glance  and  glare  like  the  eyes  of  a  basilisk. 
Here  and  there  yawns  the  shaft  of  a  deserted  mine,  a  dark 
gulf,  the  mouth  grown  over  with  briers.  The  air  is  heavy 
with  smoke,  and  hangs  like  a  pall  over  the  ground.  Not 
a  bird  nor  an  insect  is  to  be  found,  and  a  butterfly  has  not 
been  seen  within  the  memory  of  man. 

At  the  northern  point,  where  the  mountain-spurs  slope 
into  the  plain,  lies  between  two  ranges  of  bleak  hills  what 
up  to  1871  was  called  the  "red  plain,"  because  of  the 
colour  of  the  soil,  which  is  impregnated  with  oxide  of 
iron,  but  what  is  now  called  Stahlfeld,  or  the  field  of 
steel. 

Just  imagine  a  plateau  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  square 


Stahlstadt. 


65. 


STAHLSTADT.  6$ 


miles,  the  soil  sandy  and  strewn  with  pebbles,  and  altogether 
as  arid  and  desolate  as  the  ancient  bed  of  some  inland  sea. 
Nature  has  done  nothing  towards  giving  life  and  movement 
to  the  place,  but  man  has  brought  a  wonderful  amount  of 
energy  and  vigour  to  bear  on  it. 

In  five  years  there  sprang  up  on  this  bare  and  rocky 
plain  eighteen  villages,  composed  of  small  wooden  houses, 
all  alike,  brought  ready  built  from  Chicago,  and  containing 
a  large  population  of  rough  workmen. 

In  the  midst  of  these  villages,  at  the  very  foot  of  the 
Coal  Butts,  as  the  inexhaustible  mountains  of  coal  are 
called,  rises  a  dark  mass,  huge,  and  strange,  an  agglomera 
tion  of  regular  buildings,  pierced  with  symmetrical  windows, 
covered  with  red  roofs,  and  surmounted  by  a  forest  of 
cylindrical  chimneys,  which  continually  vomit  forth  clouds 
of  dense  smoke.  Through  the  black  curtain  which  veils 
the  sky,  dart  red  lightning-like  flames,  while  a  distant 
roaring  is  heard  resembling  that  of  thunder  or  the  beating 
of  the  surf  on  a  rocky  shore. 

This  erection  is  Stahlstadt— Steel  Town  !  The  German 
city,  and  the  personal  property  of  Professor  Schultz,  the 
ex-chemistry  professor  of  Jena,  who  has  become,  by  means 
of  the  Begum's  millions,  the  greatest  iron-worker,  and 
especially  the  greatest  cannon-founder,  of  the  two  hemi 
spheres. 

He  casts  guns  of  all  shapes  and  of  all  calibres,  smooth 

F 


66  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

and  rifled  bores,  for  Russia,  Turkey,  Roumania,  Japan,  foi 
Italy  and  for  China,  but  particularly  for  Germany. 

With  the  aid  of  his  enormous  capital,  this  large  establish 
ment,  which  is  at  the  same  time  a  regular  town,  started  up 
as  at  the  wave  of  a  conjurer's  wand.  Thirty  thousand 
workmen,  Germans  for  the  most  part,  crowded  to  it,  and 
settled  themselves  in  the  suburbs.  In  a  few  months  its 
products,  owing  to  their  overwhelming  superiority,  acquired 
universal  celebrity. 

Professor  Schultz  digs  out  iron  and  coal  from  his  own 
mines,  which  lie  ready  to  his  hand,  changes  them  into 
steel,  and  again  into  cannon,  all  on  the  spot. 

What  none  of  his  competitors  can  do  he  manages.  In 
France  ingots  of  steel  are  obtained,  eighty  thousand  pounds 
in  weight.  In  England  a  hundred-ton  gun  has  been  cast. 
At  Essen  M.  Krupp  has  contrived  to  cast  blocks  of  steel 
of  ten  hundred  thousand  pounds  !  Herr  Schultz  does  not 
stop  at  that — he  knows  no  limits.  Order  a  cannon  of  him, 
of  whatever  weight  and  power  you  like,  he'll  turn  you  out 
that  cannon,  as  bright  as  a  new  halfpenny,  exactly  at  the 
time  agreed  on. 

But  he  makes  his  customers  pay  for  it !  It  is  as  if  the 
two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  1871  had  only  given  him 
an  appetite  for  more  ! 

In  gun-casting,  as  in  everything  else,  the  man  who  can 
do  what  others  cannot  is  sure  to  be  well  off.  Indeed, 


STAHLSTADT.  6/ 


Schultz's  cannon  not  only  attain  to  an  unprecedented  size, 
but,  although  they  may  deteriorate  slightly  by  use,  they 
never  burst.  Stahlstadt  steel  seems  to  have  special  proper 
ties.  There  are  many  stories  current  of  mysterious  chemical 
mixtures ;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  that  no  one  has  dis 
covered  the  invaluable  secret. 

Another  thing  certain  is  that,  in  Stahlstadt,  that  secret  is 
guarded  with  the  most  jealous  care. 

In  this  remote  corner  of  North  America,  surrounded  by 
deserts,  isolated  from  the  world  by  a  rampart  of  mountains, 
five  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest  town  or  habitation  of 
any  sort,  we  may  search  in  vain  for  the  smallest  vestige 
of  that  liberty  which  is  the  foundation  principle  of  the 
United  States. 

On  arriving  under  the  walls  of  Stahlstadt  it  is  useless  to 
try  and  enter  one  of  the  massive  gateways  which  here  and 
there  break  the  line  of  moats  and  fortifications.  The 
sternest  of  sentinels  will  repulse  the  traveller.  He  must 
go  back  to  the  suburbs.  He  cannot  enter  the  City  of 
Steel  unless  he  possesses  the  magic  formula,  the  password, 
or,  at  any  rate,  an  order,  duly  stamped,  signed,  and 
countersigned. 

One  November  morning  a  young  workman  arrived  at 
Stahlstadt,  who  doubtlessly  possessed  such  an  order,  for 
after  leaving  his  well-worn  portmanteau  at  an  inn,  he 
directed  his  steps  to  the  gateway  nearest  the  village. 

F   2 


68  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

He  was  a  fine,  strongly  built  young  fellow,  dressed  in  a 
loose  coat,  woollen  shirt,  with  no  collar,  and  trousers  of 
ribbed  velveteen,  tucked  into  big  boots.  He  pulled  his 
wide  felt  hat  over  his  eyes,  as  if  to  conceal  the  coal  dust 
with  which  his  skin  was  begrimed,  and  walked  forward 
with  elastic  step,  whistling  through  his  brown  moustache. 

Arrived  at  the  gateway,  the  young  man,  showing  a  printed 
paper  to  the  officer  of  the  gate,  was  immediately  admitted. 

"Your  order  is  addressed  to  the  foreman,  Seligmann, 
section  K,  road  ix,  workshop  743,"  said  the  sentinel. 
"You  must  follow  the  roundway  to  your  right  till  you 
come  to  the  K  boundary,  and  there  show  yourself  to  the 
porter.  Do  you  know  the  rule  ?  Expelled,  if  you  enter 
another  section  than  your  own,"  he  added  as  the  new 
comer  went  away. 

The  young  workman  followed  the  direction  indicated  to 
him  along  the  roadway.  On  his  right  lay  a  moat,  above 
which  marched  numerous  sentinels.  On  his.  left,  between 
the  wide  circular  road,  and  the  mass  of  buildings,  lay  first 
a  double  line  of  railway,  and  then  a  second  wall,  similar  to 
the  outer  one,  which  entirely  surrounded  the  Steel  City. 

It  was  of  so  great  an  extent,  that  the  sections,  enclosed 
by  the  fortified  walls  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  were 
perfectly  independent  of  each  other,  although  surrounded 
by  the  same  wall  and  moat. 

The  young  workman  soon   reached   the   boundary  K,. 


The  new  workman. 


Page  68. 


STAHLSTADT.  60 


placed  at  the  side  of  the  road,  before  a  lofty  gateway 
surmounted  by  the  same  letter  sculptured  in  the  stone, 
and  presented  himself  to  the  porter. 

This  time,  instead  of  having  a  soldier  to  deal  with,  he 
found  himself  before  a  pensioner,  with  a  wooden  leg,  and 
medals  on  his  breast. 

The  pensioner  examined  the  paper,  stamped  it  again 
and  said — 

"All  right,  ninth  road  on  the  left." 

The  young  man  entered  this  second  intrenched  line,  and 
at  last  found  himself  in  section  K.  The  road  which 
debouched  from  the  gate  was  the  axle,  and  at  right  angles 
on  either  side  extended  rows  of  uniform  buildings. 

The  noise  of  machinery  was  almost  deafening.  Those 
grey  buildings  pierced  with  thousands  of  windows  were 
like  living  monsters.  But  the  new-comer  was  apparently 
accustomed  to  such  scenes,  for  he  bestowed  not  the 
slightest  attention  on  the  curious  sight. 

In  five  minutes  he  had  found  road  ix,  workshop  743, 
and  having  entered  a  little  office  full  of  portfolios  and 
registers,  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  foreman  Seligmann. 

The  man  took  the  paper  with  all  its  stamps,  examined 
it,  then  looked  the  young  workman  up  and  down. 

"Hired  as  puddler,  are  you?"  he  asked;  "you  seem 
very  young  ? " 

"  Age  has  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  was  the  answer.     "  I 


70  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

shall  soon  be  six-and-twenty,  and  I've  been  puddling  for 
the  last  seven  months.  If  you  like  I  can  show  you 
certificates  on  the  strength  of  which  I  was  engaged  at 
New  York  by  the  head  overseer." 

The  young  man  spoke  German  quite  easily,  but  with  a 
slight  accent  which  seemed  to  arouse  the  suspicions  of  the 
foreman. 

"  Are  you  an  Alsacian  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"No,  I  am  Swiss — from  Schaffhausen.  "Look,  here 
are  all  my  papers,  quite  correct,"  he  added,  taking  out  a 
leather  pocket-book  and  showing  a  passport,  testimonial, 
and  certificates. 

"Very  good.  After  all,  you  are  hired,  and  it's  my 
business  simply  to  show  you  your  place,"  returned 
Seligmann,  assured  by  this  display  of  official  documents. 

He  then  inscribed  in  a  register  the  name  of  Johann 
Schwartz,  copying  it  from  the  order,  and  gave  to  the 
workman  a  blue  card  bearing  his  name  and  the  number 
57,938,  adding — 

"  You  must  be  at  the  K  gate  every  morning  at  seven 
o'clock ;  show  this  card  which  will  already  have  passed  you 
through  the  outer  wall.  Take  from  the  rack  in  the  lodge 
a  counter  with  your  number  on  it  and  show  it  to  me  when 
you  come  in.  At  seven  in  the  evening,  as  you  go  out, 
drop  the  counter  into  a  box  placed  at  the  door  of  the 
workshop,  and  only  open  at  that  time." 


STAHLSTADT.  71 


"  I  know  the  system.  Can  I  live  in  the  town  ? "  asked 
Schwartz. 

"  No  ;  you  must  find  a  lodging  outside,  but  you  can  get 
your  meals  at  the  canteen  in  the  shed  at  a  very  moderate 
price.  Your  wages  are  a  dollar  a  day  to  begin  with,  but 
they  will  be  raised  quarterly.  Expulsion  is  the  only 
punishment.  It  is  pronounced  by  me  at  first,  and  by  the 
engineer  on  appeal,  for  any  infraction  of  the  rules.  Will 
you  begin  to-day  ?  " 

"Why  not?" 

"  It  will  be  but  half-a-day,"  observed  the  foreman,  as  he 
guided  Schwartz  to  an  inner  gallery. 

The  two  men  walked  along  a  wide  passage,  crossed  a 
yard  and  entered  a  vast  hall,  like  the  platform  of  an 
immense  terminus.  Schwartz,  as  he  glanced  round,  could 
not  restrain  a  movement  of  professional  admiration. 

On  each  side  of  the  long  hall  were  two  rows  of  enormous 
columns,  as  big  as  those  in  St.  Peter's,  at  Rome,  their  tops 
rising  through  the  glass  roof.  These  were  the  chimneys 
of  the  puddling  furnaces,  and  there  were  fifty  of  them  in 
a  row. 

At  one  end  engines  were  continually  bringing  up  waggon 
loads  of  iron  to  feed  the  furnaces  ;  at  the  other,  empty 
trucks  appeared  to  receive  and  carry  away  the  metal, 
transformed  into  steel. 

This  metamorphosis  is  accomplished  by  means  of  the 


72  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

operation  of  "puddling,"  at  which  gangs  of  half-naked 
Cyclops,  armed  with  long  iron  rakes,  were  working  with 
might  and  main. 

The  "pigs"  of  iron  are  thrown  into  a  furnace  brought 
to  an  intense  heat.  As  soon  as  melted,  the  metal  is  stirred 
about  for  a  considerable  time.  When  it  acquires  a  certain 
consistency,  the  puddler,  by  means  of  his  long  hook,  turns 
and  rolls  about  the  molten  mass,  and  makes  it  up  into 
four  blooms,  or  balls,  which  he  then  hands  over  to  others. 

The  operation  is  continued  in  the  midst  of  the  hall. 
Opposite  each  furnace  stands  a  shingling  hammer,  moved 
by  steam. 

Protected  by  boots  and  armlets  of  iron,  the  head  covered 
with  a  metallic  veil,  and  wearing  a  thick  leathern  apron, 
the  "shingler"  with  his  long  pincers  takes  up  the  red  hot 
ball,  and  places  it  under  the  hammer.  Down  on  it  comes 
the  weight  of  the  ponderous  machine,  pressing  out  a 
quantity  of  dross,  amidst  showers  of  sparks.  When  it  cools 
it  is  taken  back  to  the  furnace,  to  be  brought  out  again  and 
hammered  as  before. 

There  was  incessant  movement  in  this  monster  forge. 
To  a  spectator  it  was  a  terrifying  scene,  the  cascades  of 
molten  metal,  dull  blows  heard  above  the  roaring,  showers 
of  brilliant  sparks,  the  glare  of  the  red  hot  furnaces.  In 
the  fearful  din  and  tumult,  man  appeared  like  a  helpless 
infant. 


Puddlers  at  work. 


Page  72 


A  monster  hammer. 


Page  72. 


STAHLSTADT.  73 


Powerful  fellows  must  these  puddlers  be.  To  stir  and 
knead  four  hundredweight  of  metallic  paste  in  that  tem 
perature,  to  see  nothing  for  hours  but  the  blinding  glare  of 
the  furnace  and  molten  iron,  is  trying  work,  and  wears  a 
man  out  in  ten  years. 

Schwartz,  as  if  to  show  the  foreman  what  he  could  do, 
at  once  stripped  off  his  coat  and  woollen  shirt,  exhibiting  a 
well-knit  frame,  and  arms  on  which  the  muscles  stood  out 
like  cords,  seized  a  hook  which  one  of  the  puddlers  had 
just  put  down,  and  set  to  work. 

Seeing  that  he  was  likely  to  do  well,  the  foreman  soon 
left,  and  returned  to  his  office. 

The  new-comer  worked  on  until  the  dinner-hour.  But 
he  was  either  too  energetic,  or  he  had  neglected  to  take 
sufficient  food  that  morning  to  support  his  strength  in  this 
unusual  toil,  for  he  soon  appeared  tired  and  faint.  Indeed  so 
worn  out  did  he  seem  that  the  chief  of  his  gang  noticed  it. 

"You're  not  fit  for  a  puddler,  my  lad,"  he  said,  "and 
you  had  best  ask  at  once  to  be  changed  into  another 
section,  for  they  won't  do  it  later." 

Schwartz  protested  against  this.  It  was  but  a  passing 
faintness.  He  could  puddle  as  well  as  any  one  ! 

The  gang's-man  made  his  report  however,  and  Schwartz 
was  immediately  called  up  before  the  chief  engineer. 

This  personage  examined  his  papers,  shook  his  head, 
and  asked  in  an  inquisitorial  tone — 


74  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Were  you  a  puddler  at  Brooklyn  ?" 

The  young  man  looked  down  in  confusion. 

"  I  must  confess  it,  I  see,"  he  answered.  "I  was  employed 
in  casting,  and  it  was  in  the  hope  of  increasing  my  salary 
that  I  wished  to  try  my  hand  at  puddling." 

"  You  are  all  alike,"  returned  the  engineer,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "At  five-and-twenty  you  think  you  can  do 
what  few  men  of  five-and-thirty  are  fit  for.  Well,  then, 
are  you  good  at  casting  ?" 

"  I  was  two  months  in  the  first  class." 

"  You  had  better  have  stayed  in  it !  Here  you  will  have 
to  begin  in  the  third.  All  the  same,  you  may  think  yourself 
lucky  in  being  allowed  to  change  your  section  so  easily !" 

The  engineer  then  wrote  a  few  words  on  a  pass,  sent  a 
telegram,  and  said — 

"Give  up  your  counter,  leave  this  division,  and  go 
straight  to  section  O,  chief  engineer's  office.  He  has  been 
told." 

The  same  formalities  were  gone  through  again  that 
Schwartz  had  met  with  at  the  K  gate.  As  in  the  morning, 
he  was  questioned,  accepted,  and  sent  to  the  foreman  of 
the  workshop,  who  introduced  him  into  the  casting-hall. 
But  here  the  work  was  more  silent,  and  more  methodical. 

"This  is  only  a  small  gallery,  for  casting  forty-two 
pounders,"  observed  the  foreman  ;  "  first-class  workmen 
alone  are  allowed  to  cast  the  big  guns." 


The  casting  hall. 


Page  74 


STAHLSTADT.  7$ 


The  "  small "  gallery  was  not  less  than  four  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long  and  two  hundred  wide.  Schwartz,  as  he 
glanced  round,  calculated  that  there  must  be  at  least  six 
hundred  crucibles  being  heated,  by  four,  eight,  or  twelve 
together  in  the  side  furnaces. 

The  moulds  destined  for  the  reception  of  the  fused  steel 
were  placed  down  the  middle  of  the  gallery,  at  the  bottom 
of  a  trench.  On  each  side  of  the  trench  was  a  movable 
crane,  which,  running  on  a  line  of  rails,  was  constantly  in 
use  for  moving  enormous  weights.  As  in  the  puddling 
hall,  at  one  end  was  a  railroad  for  the  conveyance  of  the 
bars  of  steel,  at  the  other,  one  for  taking  away  the  cannon 
as  they  came  out  of  the  mould. 

Near  each  mould  stood  a  man  armed  with  an  iron  rod,  to 
test  the  state  of  fusion  of  the  metal  in  the  crucibles. 

The  processes,  which  Schwartz  had  seen  put  in  practice 
elsewhere,  were  here  brought  to  a  remarkable  state  of 
perfection. 

When  a  cast  was  to  be  made,  a  warning  bell  gave  the 
signal  to  all  the  watchers  of  the  crucibles.  Then,  two  by 
two,  workmen  of  equal  height,  bearing  between  them  on 
their  shoulders  a  horizontal  bar  of  iron,  came  with  measured 
step,  and  placed  themselves  before  every  furnace. 

An  officer,  armed  with  a  whistle,  his  chronometer  in  his 
hand,  stood  near  the  mould,  conveniently  placed  for  all  the 
furnaces  in  action.  On  each  side,  channels  of  refractory 


76  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

earth,  covered  with  metal,  converged  in  gentle  slopes  to  a 
funnel-shaped  reservoir,  placed  just  above  the  mould.  The 
officer  whistled  ;  immediately  a  crucible,  taken  from  the  fire 
with  pincers,  was  slung  on  the  iron  bar  supported  by  the 
two  workmen.  The  whistle  commenced  a  series  of  modula 
tions,  and  the  two  men,  keeping  time  to  it,  approached  and 
emptied  the  contents  of  their  crucible  into  the  corres 
ponding  channel.  Then  they  tossed  their  empty,  still  red- 
hot  receptacle  into  a  vat. 

Without  interruption,  at  regular  intervals,  so  as  to  keep 
up  a  constant  flow,  gangs  from  the  other  furnaces  went 
through  exactly  the  same  operation. 

It  was  all  executed  with  such  wonderful  precision  that 
just  at  the  appointed  time  the  last  crucible  was  emptied 
and  flung  into  the  vat.  The  manoeuvre  seemed  rather  the 
result  of  a  blind  mechanism,  than  the  co-operation  of  a 
hundred  human  wills. 

Inflexible  discipline,  the  force  of  habit,  and  the  power  of 
the  measured  musical  strain,  worked  the  miracle. 

The  Sight  appeared  familiar  to  Schwartz,  who  was  soon 
coupled  with  a  man  of  his  own  height,  tested  in  a  small 
cast,  and  found  a  capital  workman.  Indeed,  the  head  of 
his  gang  at  the  close  of  the  day  promised  him  a  speedy 
rise. 

On  leaving  the  section  O,  at  seven  that  evening,  he  went 
back  to  the  inn  to  fetch  his  portmanteau.  Then,  following 


STAHLSTADT.  77 

one  of  the  exterior  roads,  he  soon  came  to  a  group  of 
houses,  which  he  had  remarked  that  morning  as  he  passed, 
and  easily  found  a  lodging  in  the  cottage  of  a  good  woman 
who  "  took  in  a  lodger." 

After  supper,  our  young  workman  did  not,  like  too 
many  of  his  class,  stroll  out  to  the  nearest  public-house. 
He  shut  himself  in  his  room,  took  from  his  pocket  a  frag 
ment  of  steel  evidently  picked  up  in  the  puddling  shed,  a 
little  crucible  earth  from  the  O  section,  and  examined 
them  carefully  by  the  light  of  a  smoky  lamp.  Then, 
taking  from  his  portmanteau  a  thick  manuscript  book, 
half  full  of  notes,  receipts,  and  calculations,  he  wrote  the 
following  in  good  French,  though,  for  precaution,  in  a 
cipher  of  which  he  alone  knew  the  key : 

"  November  loth. — Stahlstadt. — There  is  nothing  par 
ticular  in  the  mode  of  puddling,  unless,  of  course,  it  is  the 
choice  of  two  different  temperatures,  relatively  low  for  the 
first  heat  and  the  re -heating,  according  to  Chernoff 's  rules. 
As  to  the  casting,  it  is  done  after  Krupp's  process,  but 
with  a  perfectly  admirable  uniformity  of  movement.  This 
precision  in  manoeuvres  is  the  great  German  power.  It 
results  from  the  innate  musical  talent  in  the  German  race. 
The  English  could  never  attain  to  this  perfection ;  they 
have  no  ear,  and  want  discipline.  The  French  may  reach 
it  easily,  as  they  are  the  most  perfect  dancers  in  the  world. 
So  far,  there  appears  to  be  nothing  mysterious  in  the 


78  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

remarkable  success  of  this  manufacture.  The  mineral 
specimens  which  I  picked  up  on  the  mountain  are  similar 
to  our  best  iron. 

"  The  coal  is  certainly  uncommonly  fine,  of  an  eminently 
metallurgic  quality,  but  still  there  is  nothing  unusual 
in  it. 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  in  the  Schwartz  manufacture 
special  care  is  taken  to  purify  the  principal  materials  from 
any  foreign  matter,  that  they  may  be  employed  only  in  a 
perfectly  pure  state  The  result  may  easily  be  imagined. 
To  be  in  possession  of  the  remainder  of  the  problem,  I 
have  only  to  determine  the  composition  of  the  refractory 
earth  of  which  the  crucibles  and  the  channels  are  made. 
This  discovered,  and  our  gangs  of  workmen  properly 
drilled,  I  do  not  see  why  we  should  not  do  what  they  do 
here.  All  the  same,  as  yet  I  have  only  seen  two  sections, 
and  there  are  at  least  four-and-twenty,  without  counting 
the  central  building,  the  plans  and  models  department, 
the  secret  cabinet !  What  dangerous  schemes  may  not  be 
maturing  in  that  den  ?  What  may  not  our  friends  have  to 
fear,  after  the  threat  uttered  by  Herr  Schultz  when  he 
took  possession  of  his  fortune  ? " 

After  these  questions,  *  Schwartz,  who  was  tired  enough 
with  his  day's  work,  undressed,  laid  himself  down  in  a 
little  bed,  which  was  about  as  uncomfortable  as  a  German 
bed  could  be — and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal — lighted 


STAHLSTADT.  79 


his  pipe,  and  began  to  smoke,  and  read  a  well-worn  book. 
But  his  thoughts  were  apparently  elsewhere.  The  odorous 
clouds  issued  from  his  lips  as  if  they  were  saying — 

"Pooh!     Pooh!     Pooh!     Pooh!" 

He  soon  put  down  his  book,  and  remained  lost  in 
thought  for  a  long  time,  as  if  he  were  absorbed  in  the 
solution  of  a  difficult  problem. 

,  "  Ah,"  he  exclaimed  at  last,  "  though  the  devil  himself 
should  try  to  prevent  me  I  will  find  out  the  secret  of 
Professor  Schultz,  and,  above  all,  what  he  is  meditating 
against  Frankville ! " 

Schwartz  went  to  sleep,  murmuring  the  name  of  Doctor 
Sarrasin ;  but  in  his  dreams  it  was  the  name  of  Jeannette, 
sweet  little  Jeannette,  that  was  on  his  lips.  He  had  never 
forgotten  the  little  girl,  although  Jeannette,  since  he  last 
saw  her,  had  grown  into  a  young  lady.  This  phenomenon 
is  easily  explained  by  the  ordinary  laws  of  the  association 
of  ideas.  Thoughts  of  the  doctor  brought  up  that  of 
his  daughter — association  by  contiguity.  Then,  when 
Schwartz — or  rather  Max  Bruckmann — awoke,  having  still 
Jeannette  in  his  mind,  he  was  not  at  all  astonished,  but 
found  in  this  fact  a  fresh  proof  of  the  excellence  of  the 
psychological  principles  of  John  Stuart  Mill. 


So  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  ALBRECHT   PIT. 

FRAU  BAUER,  Max  Bruckmann's  good  landlady,  was  a 
Swiss  by  birth,  and  widow  of  a  miner,  who  was  killed  four 
years  previously  in  one  of  those  accidents  which  make  a 
miner's  life  so  precarious.  She  was  allowed  a  small 
annual  pension  of  thirty  dollars,  and,  in  addition,  the  wages 
of  her  boy  Carl,  brought  regularly  to  her  every  Sunday. 
She  was  enabled  slightly  to  increase  her  income  by  letting 
a  furnished  room. 

Although  scarcely  thirteen,  Carl  was  employed  in  the 
coal  mine  as  a  trapper ;  it  being  his  duty  to  open  and 
shut  one  of  the  ventilator  doors,  whenever  it  was  necessary 
for  the  coal  trucks  to  pass.  His  mother  had  her  house  on 
lease ;  and  as  it  was  too  far  from  the  Albrecht  pit  for  him 
to  come  home  eveiy  evening,  he  had  obtained  some  night 
work  at  the  bottom  of  the  same  mine.  It  was  not  heavy, 
being  merely  to  look  after  six  horses,  whilst  the  man 


THE  ALBRECHT  PIT.  8 1 


who  had  charge  of  them  during  the  day  spent  the  night 
above  ground. 

Carl's  young  life  was  passed,  therefore,  almost  entirely, 
fifteen  hundred  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth.  All 
day  he  kept  watch  by  his  door,  all  night  he  slept  on  a  bed 
of  straw,  near  his  horses.  On  Sunday  mornings  only,  did 
he  return  to  the  light  of  day,  to  revel  for  a  few  short  hours 
in  the  universal  blessing  of  the  sun,  the  blue  sky,  and  his 
mother's  smile. 

As  may  be  imagined,  after  such  a  week,  on  coming  up 
from  the  pit  he  was  hardly  what  would  be  called 
presentable.  Indeed  he  was  more  like  a  young  gnome, 
a  sweep,  or  a  negro,  than  anything  else.  Frau  Bauer 
had  always  a  large  supply  of  hot  water  and  soap  ready, 
and  devoted  a  good  hour,  the  first  thing,  to  scrubbing 
him.  She  next  dressed  him  in  a  comfortable  suit  of  dark 
green  cloth,  made  from  an  old  one  of  his  father's,  and  kept 
all  the  week  in  the  big  deal  cupboard,  and  then  set  to  work 
to  admire  her  boy,  an  occupation  of  which  she  never  tired, 
for  she  thought  him  the  handsomest  in  the  world. 

When  the  layer  of  coal-dust  was  washed  off,  Carl  was 
really  as  good-looking  as  most  boys.  His  golden  silky 
locks,  his  pleasant  blue  eyes,  well  suited  his  fair  complexion, 
but  he  was  altogether  too  small  for  his  age.  His  sunless 
life  made  him  as  white  as  a  turnip  and,  had  Dr.  Sarrasin's 
compte-globules  been  applied  to  the  blood  of  the  young 

G 


82  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

miner,  it  would  probably  have  revealed  that  he  possessed  a 
very  insufficient  quantity. 

In  character  he  was  rather  silent  and  quiet,  with  some  of 
that  pride  which  the  feeling  of  constant  danger,  the  habit  of 
regular  work,  and  the  satisfaction  of  difficulties  overcome, 
gives  to  all  miners. 

His  greatest  happiness  was  to  sit  near  his  mother  at  the 
square  table  in  their  little  kitchen,  and  arrange  in  a  box  a 
large  number  of  frightful  insects  brought  from  the  bowels 
of  the  earth.  The  warm  and  equal  atmosphere  of  the 
mines  has  its  special  fauna,  little  known  by  naturalists,  just 
as  the  damp  walls  of  the  pits  have  their  flora  of  curious 
mosses,  mushrooms,  and  lichens. 

The  engineer,  Maulesmiilhe,  who  was  fond  of  entomology, 
had  remarked  this,  and  had  promised  a  small  reward  for 
each  new  specimen  that  Carl  brought  him.  This,  which 
had  at  first  led  the  boy  to  explore  all  the  recesses  of  the 
mine,  had  gradually  taught  him  to  be  a  collector.  He  now 
sought  for  insects  on  his  own  account. 

However,  he  did  not  limit  his  affections  to  spiders  and 
wood-lice.  He  was  on  intimate  terms  with  two  bats  and  a 
big  rat.  If  he  was  to  be  believed,  these  three  animals  were 
the  most  intelligent  and  amiable  creatures  in  the  world  ; 
even  more  intellectual  than  the  horses  with  long  silky 
manes  and  shining  sides,  of  which  Carl  always  spoke  in 
terms  of  warm  admiration. 


The  little  miner's  life. 


Page  83. 


THE  ALBRECHT   PIT.  83 

Blair- Athol  was  chief  favourite,  the  eldest  in  the  stable,  a 
philosophical  old  horse,  who  had  been  for  six  years  fifteen 
hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  had  all  that 
time  never  seen  the  light  of  day.  He  was  now  nearly  blind. 

But  how  well  he  knew  his  way  along  the  subterranean 
labyrinth,  when  to  turn  to  the  right  or  when  to  the  left,  as 
he  drew  his  trucks,  without  ever  missing  a  step !  He 
always  stopped  at  the  right  time  before  the  trap,  leaving 
just  room  enough  to  open  it.  In  what  a  friendly  way  did 
he  neigh,  morning  and  evening,  at  the  exact  minute  when 
it  was  time  for  his  provender  to  be  brought  him.  How 
good,  how  obedient,  how  gentle,  he  was  ! 

"  I  declare,  mother,  he  really  gives  me  a  kiss,  by  rubbing 
his  cheek  against  mine,  when  I  put  my  head  near  him," 
said  Carl.  "  And  he  is  wonderfully  useful  besides,  mind  you, 
for  he  is  just  like  a  clock  ;  without  him  we  should  never 
know  whether  it  was  night  or  day,  morning  or  evening." 

So  chattered  the  boy,  and  dame  Bauer  listened  to  him 
with  delight.  She,  too,  loved  Blair- Athol  as  much  as  her 
son  did,  and  never  failed  to  send  him  a  lump  of  sugar.  She 
would  have  given  anything  to  go  and  see  the  old  servant 
her  husband  had  known,  and  at  the  same  time  visit  the  dismal 
place  where  poor  Bauer's  body — black  as  ink,  carbonised 
by  the  fire-damp — had  been  found  after  the  explosion.  But 
women  are  not  admitted  into  the  mines,  and  she  had  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  vivid  descriptions  given  by  her  son. 

G  2 


84  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Ah !  she  knew  that  mine  well — that  great  dark  pit  to 
which  her  husband  went  down,  and  never  returned.  How 
many  times  she  had  waited  near  the  yawning  mouth, 
eighteen  feet  in  diameter,  looking  along  the  walling  of  free 
stone,  gazing  at  the  oaken  frame-work  to  which  the  corves 
were  drawn  up  by  cables  and  pulleys  of  steel — visited  the 
out-works,  the  engine-shed,  the  scorer's  hut,  and  the  rest ! 
How  many  times  had  she  warmed  herself  at  the  glowing 
brazier  where  the  miners  dry  their  garments  on  emerging 
from  the  pit,  and  the  impatient  smokers  light  their  pipes  ! 
How  familiar  she  was  with  all  the  noise  and  activity  of  the 
place ! 

The  receivers  who  unhooked  the  loaded  corves — the 
sorters,  washers,  engine-men,  stokers — she  had  watched 
them  all  at  work  over  and  over  again. 

What  she  could  not  see,  and  yet  could  always  picture 
with  the  eyes  of  affection,  was  what  happened  when  the 
basket  sank  down,  carrying  its  cluster  of  workmen,  with 
formerly  her  husband,  and  now  her  only  child  among  them. 

She  could  hear  their  voices  and  laughter,  growing  fainter 
and  fainter  in  the  depths,  and  finally  ceasing  altogether. 
In  her  thoughts  she  followed  that  frail  basket  as  it  was 
lowered — down,  down  the  narrow  chimney,  fifteen,  eighteen 
hundred  feet, — fourteen  times  the  height  of  the  great 
pyramid,  till  it  arrived  at  the  bottom,  and  the  men  hastened 
off  to  their  work. 


THE  ALBRECHT  PIT.  85 


She  imagined  them  all  dispersing  to  different  parts  of 
the  subterranean  town,  some  to  the  right,  some  to  the  left — 
pickers,  armed  with  strong  pickaxes  to  attack  the  blocks 
of  coal ;  shorers,  to  bank  up  places  whence  the  coal  had 
been  hollowed ;  carpenters,  to  put  up  wood-work ;  labourers, 
to  repair  the  roads  and  lay  down  rails ;  masons,  to  cement 
the  roofs. 

A  wide  central  gallery  led  from  this  shaft  to  another,  a 
ventilator  about  a  mile  distant.  At  right  angles  from  this 
spread  secondary  roads  ;  and  in  parallel  lines,  smaller  ones 
again.  These  roads  were  separated  by  walls  and  pillars 
of  coal  or  rock.  All  was  regular,  square,  solid,  black  ! 

And  this  labyrinth  of  roads  was  alive  with  half-naked 
miners,  working,  talking,  laughing,  by  the  light  of  their 
safety-lamps. 

All  this  dame  Bauer  could  see,  as  she  sat  alone, 
dreaming,  beside  her  fire. 

Among  the  numerous  galleries,  the  one  she  oftenest 
imagined  to  herself  was  where  her  boy  Carl  opened  and 
shut  his  door. 

When  evening  came,  the  day  workmen  went  up,  to  be 
replaced  by  others ;  but  her  boy  did  not  go  with  the  rest 
to  take  his  place  in  the  basket.  He  went  off  to  the  stable, 
patted  his  beloved  Blair- Athol,  and  gave  him  his  supper 
of  oats  and  fresh  hay.  Then  he  ate  his  own  little  cold 
supper,  which  had  been  sent  to  him,  played  for  a  few 


86  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

minutes  with  his  big  pet  rat,  caught  and  stroked  the  two 
bats  as  they  fluttered  about  him,  and  then  was  soon  fast 
asleep  on  his  heap  of  straw. 

Well  did  the  fond  mother  know  all  this,  and  much  she 
loved  to  hear  every  incident  of  her  boy's  daily  life. 

"Mother,  what  do  you  think  Mr.  Maulesmulhe,  the 
engineer,  said  to  me  yesterday  ?  He  said  that  if  I  gave 
correct  answers  to  some  questions  in  arithmetic  which  he 
would  put  to  me  one  of  these  days,  he  would  take  me  to 
hold  the  land-chain  when  he  surveys  the  mine  with  his 
compass.  It  seems  they  are  going  to  pierce  a  new  gallery, 
to  join  the  Weber  shaft,  and  he  will  find  it  uncommonly 
difficult  to  bring  it  out  in  the  right  place  ! " 

"Really!"  cried  dame  Bauer  with  delight;  "did  Mr. 
Maulesmulhe  say  that !  "  And  already  she  imagined  her 
Carl  holding  the  chain  along  the  gallery,  whilst  the 
engineer,  note-book  in  hand,  set  down  figures,  and,  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  compass,  ordered  the  direction  of  the 
opening. 

"  Unluckily,"  continued  Carl,  "  I  have  nobody  to  explain 
what  I  don't  understand  in  my  arithmetic,  and  I'm  much 
afraid  I  shall  not  answer  correctly  ! " 

At  this  point,  Max,  who  was  silently  smoking  by  the 
fireside,  which  place,  as  a  lodger  in  the  house,  he  had  the 
privilege  of  occupying,  joined  in  the  conversation,  and  said 
to  the  boy — 


Max  offers  his  help. 


Page  86. 


THE  ALBRECHT   PIT.  87 

"  If  you  like  to  show  me  what  you  find  difficult,  perhaps 
I  can  give  you  a  helping  hand." 

"  You  ? "  said  dame  Bauer  with  some  incredulity. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Max.  "  Do  you  think  I  learn 
nothing  at  the  evening  class  to  which  I  go  regularly  after 
supper  ?  The  master  is  very  pleased  with  me,  and  says  he 
will  make  me  a  monitor." 

This  settled,  Max  brought  from  his  room  a  clean  paper 
copy-book,  and  seating  himself  by  the  lad,  explained  the 
difficult  sum,  with  so  much  clearness  that  the  astonished 
Carl  managed  it  easily. 

From  that  day  dame  Bauer  showed  more  consideration 
for  her  lodger,  and  Max  took  a  great  liking  to  his  little 
companion. 

In  the  factory,  Max  showed  himself  an  exemplary  work 
man,  and  was  not  long  in  being  promoted  to  the  second, 
and  then  to  the  first  class.  Every  morning  he  was  at  the 
O  gate  punctually  at  seven  o'clock.  Every  evening,  after 
his  supper,  he  repaired  to  the  class  taught  by  the  engineer, 
Trubner.  Geometry,  algebra,  drawing  of  diagrams  and 
machines — he  attacked  them  all  with  equal  ardour;  and 
his  progress  was  so  rapid  that  his  master  was  much 
struck  by  it.  Two  months  from  his  entry  into  the  Schultz 
manufactory,  the  young  workman  was  already  noted 
as  one  of  the  cleverest  intellects,  not  only  in  the  A 
section,  but  in  all  Stahlstadt.  A  report  of  his  engineer, 


88 

sent  up  at  the  end  of  the  quarter,  bore  this  formal 
mention : 

"  Schwartz  (Johann)  twenty-six,  working  caster .  of  the 
first  class.  I  wish  to  bring  this  man  before  the  notice  of 
the  Directors,  as  quite  above  the  average,  in  three  respects, 
theoretical  knowledge,  practical  skill,  and  remarkable 
genius  for  invention." 

But  something  more  than  this  was  required  to  draw 
the  attention  of  the  chiefs  to  Max.  It  was  not  long  in 
coming ;  though  unfortunately  it  was  under  the  most 
tragical  circumstances. 

One  Sunday  morning,  Max,  much  astonished  at  hearing 
ten  o'clock  strike  without  his  young  friend  Carl  having 
appeared,  went  down  to  ask  dame  Bauer  if  she  knew  any 
reason  for  this  delay.  He  found  her  very  uneasy ;  Carl 
ought  to  have  been  at  home  two  hours  and  more.  Seeing 
her  anxiety,  Max  offered  to  go  and  look  after  him,  and  set 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  Albrecht  shaft. 

He  met  several  miners  on  the  way,  and  inquired  from 
them  if  they  had  seen  the  boy  ;  then,  on  receiving  a  nega 
tive  reply,  exchanging  the  "Gliickauf!"  (success  to  you! 
safe  return  !),  which  is  the  usual  salutation  of  German 
pitmen,  Max  continued  his  walk. 

About  eleven  o'clock,  he  reached  the  head  of  the 
Albrecht  shaft.  It  was  not  noisy,  and  animated,  as  on  a 
week  day;  there  was  only  one  young  "milliner,"  as  the 


THE   ALBRECHT   PIT.  89 

miners  jokingly  call  the  sorters  of  the  coal — chatting 
with  the  watchman,  whose  duty  kept  him,  even  on  this 
day,  at  the  pit's  mouth. 

"  Have  you  seen  little  Carl  Bauer,  number  41,902,  come 
up  this  morning  ? "  asked  Max  of  this  functionary. 

The  man  consulted  his  list,  and  shook  his  head. 

"  Is  there  any  other  outlet  to  the  mine  ? " 

"  No,  this  is  the  only  one  ;  the  new  shaft  to  the  north  is 
not  yet  finished." 

"  Then,  is  the  boy  below  ?  " 

"He  must  be,  though  it's  an  odd  thing  too,  for  on 
Sundays  only  the  five  watchmen  should  be  left.' 

"  Can  I  go  down  to  find  out  ? " 

"  Not  without  permission." 

"  There  may  have  been  an  accident,"  put  in  the  milliner. 

"  Not  possible  on  Sunday." 

"  All  the  same,"  said  Max,  "  I  must  find  out  what  has 
become  of  that  boy." 

"You  must  speak  to  the  overseer  of  machinery,  in  his 
office,  if  he  is  still  there." 

The  overseer,  dressed  in  his  Sunday  best,  with  a  shirt 
collar  as  stiff  as  if  it  had  been  made  out  of  tin,  was 
fortunately  still  at  his  accounts.  He  was  an  intelligent 
and  humane  man,  and  at  once  entered  into  Max's 
anxiety. 

"  We  will  go  immediately  and  see  what  he  is  doing." 


THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


And  ordering  the  man  on  duty  to  be  ready  to  pay  away 
the  cable,  he  prepared  to  descend  into  the  mine  with  the 
young  workman. 

"  Have  you  not  the  Galibert  apparatus  ?  "  asked  Max. 
"  It  may  be  useful." 

"You  are  right.  One  can  never  be  sure  what  has 
occurred  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit." 

Saying  this,  the  overseer  took  from  a  cupboard  two  zinc 
reservoirs,  similar  to  the  urns  which  the  street  cocoa-sellers 
in  Paris  carry  on  their  backs.  These  were  boxes  of  com 
pressed  air,  placed  in  communication  with  the  lips  by 
means  of  two  india-rubber  tubes,  the  horn  mouthpiece 
being  held  between  the  teeth.  They  are  filled  with  the  aid 
of  peculiar  bellows,  constructed  to  empty  themselves  com 
pletely.  The  nose  being  held  in  wooden  pincers,  a  man 
may,  thus  supplied  with  a  store  of  air,  penetrate  into  the 
most  unbreathable  atmosphere. 

These  preparations  completed,  the  overseer  and  Max 
took  their  places  in  the  basket,  the  cable  moved,  and  the 
descent  began. 

Two  small  electric  lamps  shed  some  degree  of  light 
around,  and  the  men  conversed  together  as  they  were 
lowered  into  the  depths  of  the  earth. 

"  For  a  man  not  in  the  business  you  are  a  cool  hand," 
remarked  the  overseer.  "I've  seen  people  who  couldn't 
summon  up  courage  enough  to  go  down;  or  if  they 


THE  ALBRECHT  PIT.  91 

did,  they  crouched  like  rabbits  at  the  bottom  of  the  basket 
all  the  time." 

"  Really/'  answered  Max,  "  it  seems  nothing  to  me ; 
though  it's  true  I  have  been  down  a  coal  mine  two  or  three 
times  before." 

They  were  soon  landed  at  the  foot  of  the  shaft.  The 
watchman  whom  they  found  there  had  seen  nothing  of 
young  Carl. 

They  first  visited  the  stable ;  the  horses  were  there  alone, 
and  appeared  quite  tired  of  their  own  company.  At  least 
such  was  the  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the  neigh  with 
which  Blair- Athol  greeted  the  approach  of  the  three  human 
figures.  On  a  nail  hung  Carl's  knapsack,  and  in  a  corner, 
beside  a  curry-comb,  lay  his  arithmetic  book. 

Max  remarked  directly  that  his  lantern  was  not  there,  a 
fresh  proof  that  the  boy  must  be  still  in  the  mine. 

"  He  may  have  been  hurt  by  a  landslip,"  said  the  over 
seer,  "  but  it  is  scarcely  probable.  What  can  he  have  been 
doing  in  the  galleries  on  a  Sunday  ? " 

"  Oh  !  perhaps  he  went  to  hunt  for  some  insects  before 
going  up,"  said  the  watchman.  "  It  is  quite  a  passion  with 
him." 

The  stable-boy,  who  arrived  in  the  midst  of  this  discus 
sion,  confirmed  this  supposition.  He  had  seen  Carl  start 
at  seven  o'clock  with  his  lantern. 

A   regular   search   was   immediately  commenced.     The 


92  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

other  watchmen  were  called,  and  each  one,  with  his  lantern, 
told  off  in  a  different  direction,  pointed  out  to  him  on  a 
large  plan  of  the  mine,  that  every  tunnel  and  gallery 
might  be  thoroughly  examined. 

In  two  hours  the  whole  mine  had  been  gone  through,  and 
the  seven  men  met  again  at  the  foot  of  the  shaft.  There 
had  not  been  the  least  appearance  of  a  landslip  found  any 
where,  nor  the  least  trace  of  Carl.  The  overseer,  perhaps 
influenced  by  an  increasing  appetite,  inclined  to  the  opinion 
that  the  boy  had  passed  out  unperceived,  and  would  by 
this  time  be  at  his  home.  But  Max,  convinced  of  the 
contrary,  insisted  on  renewed  exertions. 

"  What  is  that  ?"  he  asked,  pointing  to  a  dotted  region  on 
the  plan,  resembling  in  the  midst  of  the  adjacent  minute 
ness  those  terrae  incognitos  marked  on  the  confines  of  the 
arctic  continents. 

"  That  is  the  zone  provisionally  deserted,  because  of  the 
thinning  of  the  bed,"  replied  the  overseer. 

"Is  there  a  deserted  zone?  We  must  look  there!" 
exclaimed  Max,  with  a  decision  to  which  the  other  men 
submitted. 

They  were  not  long  in  reaching  the  entrance  to  some 
galleries  which,  to  judge  by  the  slimy  and  mouldy  walls, 
might  have  been  deserted  for  many  years. 

They  had  proceeded  for  some  time  without  coming  upon 
anything  suspicious,  when  Max  stopped,  and  said — 


Poor  little  Carl. 


Page  93. 


THE   ALBRECHT   PIT.  93 

"  Do  you  not  feel  stupefied,  and  attacked  with  headache  ?" 

"  Why,  yes,  indeed  we  do  ! "  answered  his  companions. 

"  So  do  I,"  resumed  Max ;  "  for  a  moment  I  felt  quite 
giddy.  There  is  certainly  carbonic  acid  gas  about !  Will 
you  allow  me  to  light  a  match  ?"  he  asked  of  the  overseer. 

"  By  all  means,  my  lad,  strike  away." 

Max  took  his  little  box  from  his  pocket,  struck  a  match, 
and  stooping,  held  it  towards  the  ground,  upon  which  it 
instantly  went  out. 

"  I  was  sure  of  it,"  he  remarked.  "  The  gas,  being  more 
heavy  than  the  air,  lies  close  to  the  ground.  You  must 
not  stay  here — I  mean  those  who  have  not  the  Galibert 
apparatus.  If  you  like,  sir,  we  can  continue  the  search 
alone." 

This  being  agreed  to,  Max  and  the  overseer  each  took 
between  his  teeth  the  mouthpiece  of  his  air  box,  placed 
the  nippers  on  his  nostrils,  and  boldly  penetrated  into  a 
succession  of  old  galleries. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  came  out  to  renew  the  air 
in  their  reservoirs  ;  this  done,  they  started  again. 

On  the  third  trial  their  efforts  were  crowned  with  success. 
The  faint  bluish  light  of  an  electric  lamp  was  seen  far  off 
in  the  darkness.  They  hastened  to  it. 

At  the  foot  of  the  damp  wall,  motionless  and  already 
cold,  lay  poor  little  Carl.  His  blue  lips  and  sunken  eyes 
told  what  had  happened. 


94  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

He  had  evidently  wished  to  pick  up  something  from  the 
ground,  had  stooped,  and  been  literally  drowned  in  the 
carbonic  acid  gas. 

Every  effort  to  recall  him  to  life  was  in  vain.  He  must 
have  been  already  dead  four  or  five  hours.  By  the  next 
evening  there  was  another  little  grave  in  the  cemetery  of 
Stahlstadt,  and  poor  dame  Bauer  was  bereaved  of  her  child 
as  well  as  of  her  husband. 


THE  CENTRAL  BLOCK.  95 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  CENTRAL  BLOCK. 

A  REPORT  from  Dr.  Echternach,  surgeon-in-chief  to  the 
section  of  the  Albrecht  pit,  stated  that  the  death  of  Carl 
Bauer,  number  41,902,  thirteen  years  of  age,  trapper  in 
gallery  228,  was  caused  by  asphyxia,  resulting  from  the 
absorption  by  the  respiratory  organs  of  a  large  proportion 
of  carbonic  acid. 

Another  no  less  luminous  report  from  the  engineer 
Maulesmulhe,  explained  the  necessity  of  including  in  the 
ventilating  scheme  zone  B  in  the  plan  xiv.,  as  a  large 
amount  of  deleterious  gas  filtered  slowly  from  its  galleries. 
Lastly,  a  note  from  the  same  functionary  brought  before 
the  notice  of  the  authorities  the  devotedness  of  the  overseer 
Rayer,  and  of  the  first-class  workman,  Johann  Schwartz. 

Ten  hours  later,  on  reaching  the  porter's  lodge,  Max,  as 
he  took  his  presence-counter,  found  this  printed  order  on 
the  nail,  addressed  to  him  : 


96  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Schwartz  will  present  himself  at  the  Director-General's 
office  at  ten  o'clock  to-day.  Central  block,  Gate  and 
Road  A." 

"At  last !"  thought  Max.  "This  is  the  first  step  ;  the 
rest  will  come  !  " 

While  chatting  with  his  comrades  on  his  Sunday 
walks  round  Stahlstadt,  he  had  acquired  sufficient  know 
ledge  of  the  general  organisation  of  the  city  to  know 
that  authority  to  enter  the  central  block  was  not  to 
be  had  every  day.  All  sorts  of  stories  were  current  about 
this  place.  It  was  said  that  some  indiscreet  people,  who 
had  tried  to  get  into  the  guarded  enclosure  by  stratagem, 
had  never  been  seen  again.  That  before  their  admission, 
all  workmen  employed  there  had  to  go  through  a  series  of 
masonic  ceremonies — were  obliged  to  take  the  most  solemn 
oaths  not  to  reveal  anything  that  went  on  there,  and 
were  mercilessly  sentenced  to  death  by  a  secret  tribunal 
if  they  violated  their  oath.  A  subterranean  railway  put 
this  sanctuary  in  communication  with  the  out-works. 
Night  trains  brought  unknown  visitors.  Supreme  councils 
were  held  there,  and  sometimes  mysterious  personages 
came  to  participate  in  the  deliberations. 

Without  putting  unnecessary  faith  in  these  accounts, 
Max  knew  that  they  were  really  the  popular  expression  of 
a  well-known  fact — the  extreme  difficulty  which  attended 
admission  into  the  central  division.  Of  all  the  workmen 


THE  CENTRAL  BLOCK.  97 

whom  he  knew — and  he  had  friends  in  the  iron  mines  as 
well  as  in  the  coal  pits,  among  the  refiners  as  well  as  the 
men  employed  in  the  blast  furnaces,  among  the  carpenters 
as  well  as  the  smiths — not  one  had  ever  entered  the 
gate. 

It  was  therefore  with  a  feeling  of  intense  curiosity  as 
well  as  secret  pleasure  that  he  presented  himself  there  at 
the  hour  named.  It  was  soon  plain  that  the  precautions 
were  of  the  strictest. 

Evidently  Max  was  expected.  Two  men,  dressed  in  a 
grey  uniform,  swords  at  their  sides,  and  revolvers  in  their 
belts,  were  waiting  in  the  porter's  lodge. 

This  lodge,  like  that  of  a  cloistered  convent,  had  two 
gates,  an  outer  and  an  inner  one,  which  were  never  open  at 
the  same  time. 

The  pass  examined  and  signed,  Max  saw,  though 
without  manifesting  any  surprise,  a  white  handkerchief 
brought  out,  with  which  the  two  attendants  in  uniform 
carefully  bandaged  his  eyes. 

Then  taking  him  by  the  arms,  they  marched  him  off 
without  saying  a  word. 

After  walking  two  or  three  thousand  steps  they  mounted 
a  staircase,  a  door  was  opened  and  shut,  and  Max  was 
allowed  to  take  off  his  bandage. 

He  found  himself  in  a  large  plain  room,  furnished  with 
some  chairs,  a  black  board,  and  a  long  desk,  supplied  with 

H 


98  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

every  implement  necessary  for  linear  drawing.  It  was 
lighted  by  high  windows,  filled  with  ground  glass. 

Almost  immediately,  two  personages,  who  looked  as  if 
they  belonged  to  a  university,  entered  the  room. 

"  You  are  brought  before  our  notice  as  having  somewhat 
distinguished  yourself,"  said  one  of  them.  "  We  are  about 
to  examine  you  to  find  out  if  there  is  reason  to  admit  you 
into  the  model  division.  Are  you  prepared  to  answer  our 
questions  ?" 

Max  modestly  declared  himself  ready  to  be  put  to  the 
proof. 

The  two  examiners  then  successively  put  questions  to 
him  in  chemistry,  geometry,  and  algebra.  The  young 
workman  satisfied  them  in  every  case  by  the  clearness  and 
precision  of  his  answers.  The  figures  which  he  traced  in 
chalk  on  the  board  were  neat,  decided,  and  elegant.  His 
equations  in  the  most  perfect  way,  in  equal  lines,  like  the 
ranks  of  a  crack  regiment.  One  of  these  demonstrations 
was  so  remarkable,  and  so  new  to  the  judges,  that  they 
expressed  their  astonishment,  and  asked  where  he  had 
been  taught. 

"At  Schaffhaiisen,  my  native  town,  in  the  elementary 
school." 

"You  appear  a  good  draughtsman  ?" 

"  It  was  my  strong  point." 

"  The  education  given  in  Switzerland  is  decidedly  very 


THE  CENTRAL  BLOCK.  99 

uncommon,"  remarked  one  examiner  to  the  other.  "We 
will  give  you  two  hours  to  execute  this,"  he  resumed, 
handing  to  the  candidate  a  drawing  of  a  very  complicated- 
looking  steam-engine.  "  If  you  acquit  yourself  well  you 
shall  be  admitted  with  the  mention,  *  Perfectly  satisfactory 
and  very  superior.' " 

Left  alone,  Max  set  eagerly  to  work. 

When  his  judges  re-entered  at  the  expiration  of  the  given 
time,  they  were  so  delighted  with  his  diagram,  that  they 
added  to  the  promised  mention,  "  We  have  not  another 
draughtsman  of  equal  talent." 

Our  young  workman  was  then  again  seized  by  the  grey 
attendants,  and  with  the  same  ceremonial,  that  is  to  say, 
the  bandaged  eyes,  was  led  to  the  office  of  the  Director- 
General. 

"  You  are  offered  admission  to  one  of  the  studios  in  the 
model  division,"  said  this  personage.  "  Are  you  ready  to 
submit  to  the  rules  and  regulations  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know  what  they  are,"  said  Max ;  "  but  I 
presume  they  are  acceptable." 

"  They  are  these :  First,  you  are  compelled,  as  long  as 
your  engagement  lasts,  to  reside  in  the  same  division.  You 
•cannot  go  out  but  by  special  and  exceptional  order.  Second, 
you  are  subjected  to  military  discipline;  and  you  owe 
absolute  obedience,  under  military  penalties,  to  your  supe 
riors.  To  weigh  against  this,  you  are  also  like  the  non- 
11  2 


ioo  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

commissioned  officers  of  an  active  army,  for  you  may,  by  a 
regular  advance,  be  raised  to  the  highest  grades.  Third, 
you  bind  yourself  by  an  oath  never  to  reveal  to  any  one  what 
you  see  in  the  division  to  which  you  have  access.  Fourth,, 
your  correspondence  is  opened  by  your  chiefs,  all  you  send 
as  well  as  all  you  receive ;  and  it  must  be  limited  to  your 
family." 

"  In  short,  I  am  in  prison,"  thought  Max. 

Then  he  replied  quietly — 

"These  rules  seem  perfectly  just,  and  I  am  ready  to 
submit  to  them." 

"  Good.  Raise  your  hand.  Take  the  oath.  You  are 
nominated  draughtsman  to  the  fourth  studio.  A  lodging 
will  be  assigned  to  you,  and  for  your  meals,  you  will  find 
a  first-rate  canteen  here.  You  have  not  your  property 
with  you  ?" 

"  No,  sir.  As  I  was  ignorant  of  what  I  was  wanted  for, 
I  left  everything  in  my  room." 

41  They  will  be  brought  to  you,  for  you  must  not  again  go 
out  of  the  division." 

"  I  did  well,"  thought  Max,  "to  write  my  notes  in  cipher! 
They  would  only  have  had  to  look  at  them  !" 

Before  the  close  of  the  day,  Max  was  established  in  a 
pretty  little  room,  in  the  fourth  story  of  a  building  over 
looking  a  wide  courtyard,  and  had  some  ideas  about  his 
new  life. 


THE   CENTRAL  BLOCK.  IOI 

He  did  not  fancy  that  it  would  be  as  dismal  as  at  first 
sight  it  appeared.  His  comrades,  with  whom  he  made 
acquaintance  at  the  restaurant,  were  in  general  quiet  and 
gentle,  like  all  industrious  people.  To  enliven  themselves 
a  little — for  there  was  rather  a  want  of  gaiety  in  their 
mechanical  life — they  formed  a  band  amongst  themselves, 
and  performed  selections  of  very  tolerable  music  every 
evening.  A  library,  a  reading-room,  were  valuable 
resources  for  the  mind,  from  a  scientific  point  of  view, 
during  the  rare  hours  of  leisure.  Special  courses  held 
by  professors  were  obligatory  to  all  the  men  employed, 
who  had  besides  to  undergo  frequent  examinations  and 
competitions.  But  fresh  air  and  liberty  were  lacking  in 
these  narrow  confines. 

It  was  a  regular  college,  only  with  extra  strictness  exer 
cised  on  grown  men.  The  surrounding  atmosphere  could 
not  but  weigh  on  their  spirits,  subjected  as  they  were  to 
an  iron  discipline. 

The  winter  passed  away  in  these  employments,  to  which 
Max  gave  himself  up  heart  and  soul.  His  application,  the 
perfection  of  his  drawings,  his  extraordinary  progress  in 
every  subject  he  was  taught,  noticed  by  all  his  tutors  and 
examiners,  had  made  for  him,  even  in  this  short  time,  and 
amongst  all  these  diligent  men,  a  corresponding  celebrity. 
By  general  consent  he  was  the  most  clever  draughtsman, 
the  most  ingenious,  the  most  fruitful  in  resources.  Was 


102  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

there  a  difficulty  ?  they  applied  to  him.  Even  the  chiefs 
themselves  resorted  to  his  experience,  with  the  respect 
which  merit  extorts  even  from  the  most  marked  jealousy. 

But  if,  on  reaching  the  heart  of  the  model  division,  the 
young  man  calculated  that  he  would  be  any  nearer  getting 
at  the  innermost  secrets,  he  was  very  much  out  in  his 
reckoning. 

His  life  at  present  was  enclosed  within  an  iron  railing 
three  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  surrounding  the  segment 
of  the  central  block  to  which  he  was  attached.  Intellec 
tually,  his  activity  could  and  should  extend  to  the  highest 
branches  of  metallurgic  industry.  In  practice,  it  was 
limited  to  drawing  steam-engines.  He  constructed  them 
of  all  dimensions  and  of  all  powers,  for  every  kind  of 
industry  and  use,  for  war-ships  and  for  printing-presses ; 
but  he  never  left  this  speciality.  The  division  of  labour 
pushed  to  its  utmost  limit  held  him  as  in  a  vice. 

After  four  months  passed  in  section  A,  Max  knew  no 
more  of  the  entire  plan  of  the  works  in  the  Steel  City  than 
he  did  on  entering.  At  the  most  he  had  merely  collected 
a  little  general  information  about  the  organisation  of  the 
machinery  of  which  he  formed — notwithstanding  his 
merits — but  a  very  small  portion.  He  knew  that  the 
centre  of  the  spider's  web,  figurative  of  Stahlstadt,  was  the 
Bull  Tower,  a  kind  of  cyclopean  structure,  overlooking  all 
the  neighbouring  buildings. 


THE   CENTRAL  BLOCK.  IO3 

He  had  learnt,  too,  through  the  legendary  stories  of  the 
canteen,  that  the  dwelling  of  Herr  Schultz  himself  was  at 
the  base  of  this  tower,  and  that  the  renowned  secret  room 
occupied  the  centre.  It  was  added  that  this  vaulted  hall, 
protected  against  any  danger  of  fire,  and  plated  inside,  as  a 
monitor  is  plated  outside,  was  closed  by  a  system  of  steel 
doors  with  spring-gun  locks,  worthy  of  the  most  suspicious 
bank.  The  general  opinion  was  that  Professor  Schultz 
was  working  at  the  completion  of  a  terrible  engine  of  war 
of  unprecedented  power,  and  destined  to  assure  universal 
dominion  to  Germany. 

Max  had  revolved  in  his  brain  many  most  audacious  plans 
of  escalade  and  disguise,  but  had  been  compelled  to  acknow 
ledge  to  himself  that  nothing  of  the  sort  was  practicable. 
Those  lines  of  sombre  and  massive  walls,  flooded  with 
light  during  the  night,  and  guarded  by  trusty  sentinels, 
would  always  oppose  an  insuperable  obstacle  to  every 
attempt.  But  even  if  he  did  overcome  it  to  some  extent 
^what  would  he  see  ?  Details,  always  details,  never  the 
whole ! 

What  matter !  He  had  sworn  not  to  yield,  and  he 
would  not  yield.  If  it  took  ten  years,  he  would  wait  that 
time.  But  the  hour  was  coming  when  that  secret  would 
be  his  own.  It  must !  The  happy  city  Frankville  was 
prospering,  its  beneficent  institutions  favouring  each  and 
all,  and  giving  a  new  horizon  of  hope  to  a  disheartened 


104  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

people.  Max  had  no  doubt  that  in  the  face  of  such  a 
triumph  to  the  Latin  race,  Schultz  would  be  more  than 
ever  determined  to  make  good  his  threats.  Stahlstadt  and 
its  factories  were  a  proof  of  that. 

Thus  many  weeks  passed  away. 

One  day  in  March,  Max  had  just  for  the  hundredth  time 
repeated  his  secret  vow,  when  one  of  the  grey  attendants 
informed  him  that  the  Director-General  wished  to  speak 
to  him. 

"  I  have  received  from  Herr  Schultz,"  said  this  high 
functionary,  "  an  order  to  send  him  our  best  draughtsman. 
You  are  the  man.  Make  your  arrangements  to  pass  into 
the  inner  circle.  You  are  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
lieutenant." 

Thus,  at  the  very  moment  when  he  was  almost  despair 
ing  of  success,  his  heroic  toil  at  last  procured  him  the 
much  desired  entrance  ! 

Max  was  so  filled  with  delight  that  his  joy  exhibited 
itself  on  his  countenance. 

"  I  am  happy  to  have  such  good  news  to  announce  to 
you,"  continued  the  Director ;  "  and  I  cannot  refrain  from 
urging  you  to  continue  in  the  path  you  have  begun  to 
tread  so  gallantly.  A  brilliant  future  is  before  you.  Go, 
sir." 

So  Max,  after  his  long  probation,  caught  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  end  which  he  had  sworn  to  reach ! 


An  unexpected  sight. 


Page  105. 


THE   CENTRAL  BLOCK.  105 

To  stuff  all  his  clothes  into  his  portmanteau,  follow  the 
grey  men,  pass  through  the  last  enclosure,  of  which  the 
entrance  in  the  A  road  might  have  been  still  forbidden  to 
him,  was  the  work  of  a  few  minutes. 

He  now  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  inaccessible  Bull  Tower  ; 
until  this  moment  he  had  but  seen  its  lofty  head  reared 
among  the  clouds. 

The  scene  which  lay  before  him  was  indeed  an  unex 
pected  one.  Imagine  a  man  suddenly  transported  from  a 
noisy,  commonplace  European  workshop  into  the  midst  of 
a  virgin  forest  in  the  torrid  zone.  Such  was  the  surprise 
which  awaited  Max  in  the  centre  of  Stahlstadt. 

As  a  virgin  forest  gains  in  beauty  from  the  descriptions 
of  great  writers,  so  was  Professor  Schultz's  park  more 
beautiful  than  the  most  lovely  of  pleasure  gardens.  Slender 
palms,  tufted  bananas,  curious  cacti  formed  the  shrubberies, 
Creepers  wound  gracefully  round  eucalyptus  trees,  hung  in 
green  festoons,  or  fell  in  rich  clusters.  The  most  tender 
plants  bloomed  in  abundance.  Pineapples  and  guavas 
ripened  beside  oranges.  Humming-birds  and  birds  of 
paradise  displayed  their  brilliant  plumage  in  the  open  air  ; 
for  the  temperature  was  as  tropical  as  the  vegetation. 

Max  instinctively  looked  around  and  above  for  glass  and 
hot-air  pipes  to  account  for  this  miracle  ;  seeing  nothing  but 
the  blue  sky  he  stopped  bewildered. 

Then  it  flashed  upon  him  that  not  far  from  the  spot  was 


io6 

a  coal  mine  in  permanent  combustion,  and  he  guessed  that 
Herr  Schultz  had  ingeniously  utilised  this  valuable  sub 
terranean  heat,  by  means  of  metallic  pipes,  to  maintain  a 
constant  hot-house  atmosphere. 

But  this  explanation  did  not  prevent  the  young  Alsacian's 
eyes  from  being  dazzled  and  charmed  with  the  green  lawns, 
while  his  nostrils  inhaled  with  delight  the  delicious  scents 
which  filled  the  air.  To  a  man  who  had  passed  six  months 
without  seeing  even  a  blade  of  grass,  it  was  truly  refreshing. 
A  gravelled  path  led  him,  by  a  gentle  slope,  to  the  foot 
of  a  handsome  flight  of  marble  steps,  commanded  by  a 
majestic  colonnade.  Behind  rose  the  huge  and  massive 
square  building,  which  was  as  it  were  the  pedestal  of  the 
Bull  Tower. 

Beneath  the  peristyle  Max  could  see  seven  or  eight 
servants  in  red  livery,  and  a  gorgeous  porter  in  cocked  hat, 
and  bearing  a  halberd.  And  he  noticed  between  the  columns 
rich  bronze  candelabra.  As  he  ascended  the  steps  a 
slight  rumble  betrayed  that  the  underground  railroad  lay 
beneath  his  feet. 

Max  gave  his  name,  and  was  immediately  admitted  into 
a  hall,  a  regular  museum  of  sculpture.  Not  having  time  to- 
examine  anything,  he  was  conducted  first  through  a  saloon, 
adorned  with  black  and  gold,  then  through  one  with  red 
and  gold  ornaments,  and  he  was  finally  left  alone  for  five 
minutes  in  a  yellow  and  gold  saloon.  At  the  end  of  that 


The  King  of    Steel  in  his  palace. 


THE  CENTRAL  BLOCK. 


time  a  footman  returned  and  showed  him  into  a  splendid 
green  and  gold  study. 

Herr  Schultz  in  person,  smoking  a  long  clay  pipe,  with  a 
tankard  of  beer  at  his  side,  had  the  effect,  in  the  midst  of 
all  this  luxury,  of  a  spot  of  mud  on  a  patent-leather  boot. 

Without  rising,  without  even  turning  his  head,  the  King 
of  Steel  merely  said,  in  a  cold  tone — 

"  Are  you  the  draughtsman  ? " 

"Yes,. sir." 

"  I  have  seen  your  diagrams.  They  are  veiy  good.  But 
do  you  only  understand  steam-engines  ? " 

"  I  have  never  been  examined  in  anything  else." 

"Do  you  know  anything  of  the  science  of  projectiles  ?" 

"  I  have  studied  it  in  my  spare  time,  and  for  my  own 
pleasure." 

This  reply  interested  Herr  Schultz. 

He  deigned  to  turn  and  look  at  his  employe. 

"  Well,  will  you  undertake  to  design  a  cannon  with  me  ? 
We  shall  see  what  you  can  make  of  it !  Ah !  you 
will  be  scarcely  able  to  take  the  place  of  that  idiot  of  a 
Sohne,  who  got  killed  this  morning  whilst  handling  some 
dynamite !  The  fool  might  have  blown  us  all  up !  " 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  this  revolting  want  of 
feeling  was  only  what  might  have  been  expected  from  the 
mouth  of  Herr  Schultz. 


io8  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  DRAGON'S  DEN. 

THE  reader  who  has  followed  the  progress  of  our  young 
Alsacian's  fortune  will  probably  not  be  much  surprised  to 
find  him,  at  the  end  of  a  few  weeks,  firmly  established 
in  Herr  Schultz's  favour.  The  two  had  become  in 
separable.  They  \vorked  together,  they  ate  and  walked 
together,  and  together  they  sat  smoking  over  their 
foaming  glasses  of  beer.  The  ex-professor  of  Jena  had 
never  before  met  with  a  coadjutor  so  entirely  after 
his  own  heart,  one  who  caught  his  meaning  with  half  a 
word,  and  who  could  so  rapidly  utilise  his  theoretical 
ideas. 

Max  not  merely  possessed  transcendent  merit  in  all 
branches  of  the  profession,  he  was  besides  the  most  charming 
companion,  the  most  diligent  worker,  the  most  modestly 
fertile  inventor. 

Herr  Schultz  was  delighted  with  him.     Ten  times  a  day 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  109 

he  said  to  himself,  "  What  a  treasure  !  what  a  pearl  this 
fellow  is  !" 

The  truth  was  that  Max  had,  at  the  first  glance,  seer* 
through  the  character  of  his  formidable  patron,  and  per 
ceiving  that  blind  and  insatiable  vanity  was  its  leading 
feature,  he  regulated  his  conduct  by  humouring  the  egotism 
which  he  despised. 

In  a  few  days  the  young  man  had  acquired  such  skill 
in  the  fingering  necessary  for  this  human  keyboard,  that 
he  could  play  upon  Schultz  as  easily  as  one  plays  on  a 
piano. 

His  tactics  merely  consisted  in  exhibiting  his  own  merits 
to  advantage,  but  always  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  an 
opening  for  his  master  to  show  superiority  over  him.  For 
instance,  when  he  finished  a  drawing  he  would  leave  it 
perfect,  with  the  exception  of  some  slight  fault,  as  easy  to 
see  as  to  correct,  and  this  the  ex-professor  immediately 
and  exultantly  pounced  upon. 

Had  he  some  theoretical  idea,  he  caused  it  so  to  open  out 
in  the  course  of  conversation  that  Herr  Schultz  might  fancy 
that  he  himself  had  originated  it.  Sometimes  he  even 
went  further,  boldly  saying — 

"  I  have  traced  that  plan  of  a  vessel  with  the  detached 
ram,  which  you  asked  for." 

"  I  ?  "  returned  Herr  Schultz,  who  had  never  dreamt  of 
such  a  thing. 


no  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"Why,  yes !  you  don't  mean  to  say  you  have  forgotten? 
A  detached  ram,  which  will  leave  a  spindle-shaped  torpedo 
in  the  enemy's  side,  to  burst  after  an  interval  of  three 
minutes  ! " 

"  I  had  not  the  least  recollection  of  it.  That  comes  of 
having  a  head  like  mine !  it  is  so  full  of  inventive  genius 
that  I  forget  my  own  ideas."  And  Herr  Schultz  con 
scientiously  pocketed  the  credit  of  the  new  invention. 

Perhaps,  after  all,  he  was  only  half  duped  by  this  artifice. 
In  his  innermost  heart  he  probably  felt  that  Max  was 
stronger  than  he.  But  by  one  of  those  mysterious  workings 
which  go  on  in  the  human  brain,  he  was  contented  with  the 
appearance  of  superiority  as  long  as  he  could  delude  his 
subordinate. 

"  But  the  fellow  must  be  an  ass  after  all,  in  spite  of  his 
cleverness!"  he  would  sometimes  say  to  himself,  with  a 
silent  laugh  which  showed  all  the  thirty- two  dominoes  in 
his  jaw. 

His  vanity,  if  ever  wounded,  was  soon  consoled  by  the 
reflection  that  he  alone  in  all  the  world  could  carry  out 
these  inventions  and  ideas.  They  would  have  been  of  no 
value  but  for  his  gold.  After  all  Max  was  only  part  of  the 
mechanism  which  he,  Schultz,  had  set  going,  &c.,  &c. 

Yet,  although  in  high  favour,  Max  was  never  taken  into 
the  professor's  confidence,  and  after  five  months'  sojourn  in 
the  Bull  Tower,  he  knew  little  more  than  at  first  of  its 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  in 

mysteries.  His  suspicions  had  become  certainties,  and 
that  was  all.  He  was  now  convinced  that  Stahlstadt 
contained  a  secret,  and  that  Herr  Schultz  had  some  aim 
far  beyond  that  of  gain.  The  nature  of  his  occupations 
rendered  the  supposition  that  he  had  invented  some 
perfectly  new  engine  of  warfare  extremely  probable. 

But  the  enigma  had  still  to  be  solved.  Max  at  last  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  obtain  the 
knowledge  he  sought  without  coming  to  some  crisis,  and 
this  he  resolved  to  provoke. 

It  was  after  dinner  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  September ; 
exactly  a  year  since  he  had  found  the  body  of  his  little 
friend  Carl  in  the  Albrecht  pit. 

Outside,  the  long  severe  American  winter  already  covered 
the  country  with  its  white  mantle  ;  but  in  the  park  of 
Stahlstadt  the  temperature  was  as  warm  as  during  June, 
and  the  snow,  melting  before  it  touched  the  ground,  fell  in 
rain  instead  of  flakes. 

"  Those  sausages  in  sourkraut  were  delicious,  were  they 
not?"  remarked  Herr  Schultz,  whose  love  of  his  favourite 
dish  was  unaffected  by  the  Begum's  millions. 

"  Delicious  ! "  returned  Max,  who  had  heroically  partaken 
of  this  mess  every  evening,  till  at  last  he  hated  the  very 
sight  of  it. 

His  feelings  on  this  subject  decided  him  at  once  to  carry 
his  meditated  project  into  execution. 


ii2  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"I  wonder,"  resumed  Herr  Schultz,  with  a  sigh,  "how 
people  who  have  neither  sausages,  nor  sourkraut,  nor  beer, 
can  endure  existence." 

"  Life  must  be  one  long  misery  to  them,"  replied  Max. 
"  It  would  really  be  a  charity  to  unite  all  mankind  with  the 
Vaterland." 

"Well !  well!  that  will  come,  that  will  come  !"  exclaimed 
the  King  of  Steel.  "  Here  we  are  already  installed  in  the 
heart  of  America.  Just  let  us  take  an  island  or  two  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Japan,  and  you  will  see  in  what  a  few 
strides  we  shall  get  round  the  globe !" 

The  footman  now  brought  in  the  pipes  ;  Herr  Schultz 
filled  and  lighted  his.  Max  had  purposely  determined  to 
make  use  of  this  moment  of  supreme  bliss,  so  began,  after 
a  few  minutes'  silence — 

"  I  must  say  that  I  don't  quite  believe  in  this  conquest ! " 

"  What  conquest  ?"  asked  Herr  Schultz,  who  had  forgotten 
what  was  the  topic  of  conversation. 

"  The  conquest  of  the  world  by  the  Germans." 

The  ex-professor  thought  he  had  not  heard  correctly. 

"  You  do  not  believe  in  the  conquest  of  the  world  by  the 
Germans  ?" 

"No." 

"  Oh,  indeed,  that  is  something  strange  !  I  am  curious  to 
know  the  reasons  for  your  doubt." 

'  Simply  because  the  French  artillerymen  will  end  by 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  113 

doing  better,  and  will  far  surpass  you.  The  Swiss,  my 
fellow-countrymen,  who  know  them  well,  are  firmly  con 
vinced  that  a  forewarned  Frenchman  is  worth  two  Germans. 
The  lesson  of  1870  will  be  repeated  against  those  who  gave 
it.  No  one  doubts  this  in  my  little  country,  sir,  and  if  I 
may  venture  to  say  so,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  cleverest 
men  in  England." 

Max  had  uttered  these  words  in  a  cool,  dry,  and  decisive 
tone,  which,  if  it  were  possible,  doubled  the  effect  of  the 
point-blank  blasphemy. 

Herr  Schultz  glared  wildly — his  astonishment  almost 
choked  him.  Then  the  blood  rushed  to  his  face  with  such 
violence  that  the  young  man  feared,  for  a  moment,  he  had 
gone  too  far.  However,  seeing  that  rage  had  not  stifled 
his  victim,  and  that  he  would  not  die  of  the  shock  this 
time,  he  resumed — 

"Yes,  it  is  annoying  to  think  of;  but  it's  the  fact. 
Although  our  rivals  make  no  noise  about  it,  yet  they  are 
working.  Do  you  think  they  have  learnt  nothing  since  the 
war  ?  Whilst  we  are  stupidly  trying  to  increase  the  weight 
of  our  cannon,  you  may  be  certain  that  they  are  preparing 
something  new,  and  that  we  shall  see  what  it  is  on  the  very 
first  opportunity !" 

"Something  new,  something  new!"  stammered  Herr 
Schultz.  "  We  are  doing  that  too,  sir  !" 

"Ah,  yes,  in  a  way.  We  are  making  in  steel  what  our 

I 


ii4  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

predecessors  made  in  bronze,  that's  all.  We  double  the 
proportions  and  the  range  of  our  pieces." 

"Double!"  exclaimed  Herr  Schultz,  in  a  tone  which 
signified,  "Indeed  !  we  do  better  than  double  !" 

"In  short,"  resumed  Max,  "we  are  mere  plagiarists.  See 
here,  the  truth  is  we  lack  any  genius  for  inventing.  We 
discover  nothing,  and  the  French  do,  and  will,  you  may  be 
sure." 

Herr  Schultz  had  become,  outwardly  at  least,  rather 
calmer,  though  his  trembling  lips,  and  the  paleness  which 
had  succeeded  the  apoplectic  crimson,  betrayed  the  agitated 
state  of  his  mind. 

Must  he  endure  such  a  pitch  of  humiliation  ?  To  be  the 
far-famed  Schultz,  the  absolute  master  of  the  greatest 
manufactory  and  cannon  foundry  in  the  whole  world,  to 
have  kings  and  parliaments  at  his  feet,  and  then  to  be  told 
by  an  insignificant  Swiss  draughtsman  that  he  lacked 
invention,  that  he  was  below  a  French  gunner !  And  all 
this  when  he  had  close  to  him,  on  the  other  side  of  a  plated 
wall,  something  which  would  a  thousand  times  confound 
the  impudent  rascal,  shut  him  up  completely,  and  sweep 
away  all  his  idiotic  arguments  ?  No,  it  was  not  to  be 
endured ! 

Herr  Schultz  rose  so  abruptly  that  he  broke  his  pipe. 
Then,  casting  at  Max  a  glance  full  of  irony,  he  hissed  out 
from  between  his  set  teeth — 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  115 

"  Follow  me,  sir,  I  am  about  to  show  you  whether  I, 
Herr  Schultz,  have  any  lack  of  invention  !" 

Max  had  played  high,  but  had  won — thanks  to  the 
surprise  his  bold  and  unexpected  language  had  produced, 
and  the  passion  he  had  aroused. 

Vanity  being  stronger  than  prudence  with  the  ex- 
professor,  Schultz  was  now  eager  to  lay  open  his  secret. 
He  led  the  way  with  a  hurried  step  into  his  study,  closed 
the  door  carefully,  and  walking  straight  up  to  the  book 
case,  touched  a  panel.  Immediately  an  opening,  concealed 
by  the  rows  of  books,  appeared  in  the  wall.  This  was  the 
entrance  to  a  narrow  passage,  leading  by  a  stone  staircase 
to  the  very  foot  of  the  Bull  Tower. 

There,  an  oaken  door  was  opened  by  means  of  a  little 
key,  which  never  left  the  possession  of  the  master  of  the 
place.  A  second  door  appeared,  fastened  with  a  padlock, 
similar  to  those  used  for  strong  boxes. 

Herr  Schultz  threw  open  the  heavy  iron  barrier,  protected 
within  by  a  complicated  apparatus  of  explosive  machinery, 
which  Max,  actuated  by  professional  curiosity,  would  have 
much  liked  to  examine  ;  but  his  guide  left  him  no  time  to 
do  so. 

The  two  men  then  found  themselves  before  a  third  door, 
without  any  apparent  lock  or  bolt,  which  yielded  to  a  slight 
push,  given,  however,  in  a  particular  way. 

This  third  barrier  passed,  Herr  Schultz  and  his  companion 

I  2 


n6  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

climbed  an  iron  staircase  of  two  hundred  steps,  and  arrived 
at  the  summit  of  the  Bull  Tower,  overlooking  all  the  city  of 
Stahlstadt. 

In  the  centre  of  a  sort  of  casemate,  pierced  with  numerous 
embrasures,  stood  a  steel  cannon. 

"  There  ! "  exclaimed  the  professor,  who  had  not  uttered 
a  word  since  they  left  the  dining-room. 

It  was  the  most  enormous  piece  of  ordnance  Max  had 
ever  beheld.  A  breach-loader  of  at  least  three  hundred  tons. 
Its  mouth  measured  nearly  five  feet  in  diameter.  Mounted 
on  a  steel  carriage,  and  running  on  rails  of  the  same  metal, 
it  might  have  been  manoeuvred  by  a  child,  so  easy  were  all 
its  movements  made,  by  a  system  of  cogged  wheels.  A 
spring,  fixed  at  the  back  of  the  carriage,  had  the  effect  of 
annulling  the  recoil,  or  at  least  producing  a  perfectly  equal 
reaction*,  so  that  after  each  shot  the  gun  returned  to  its 
first  position. 

"  And  what  may  be  the  perforating  power  of  this  piece  ? " 
asked  Max,  who  could  not  restrain  his  admiration. 

"  At  twenty  thousand  yards  we  can  pierce  a  forty-inch 
plate  as  easily  as  if  it  were  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter !" 

"And  its  range?" 

"Its  range?"  cried  Schultz,  enthusiastically.  "Ah! 
you  said  just  now  that  our  imitative  genius  had  done 
nothing  more  than  double  the  range  of  former  guns ! 
Well,  with  this  fellow,  I  would  undertake  to  send,  with 


The  masterpiece  of  Herr  Schultz. 


Page  1 1 6. 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  117 


tolerable  precision,  a  projectile  to  the  distance  of  thirty 
miles!" 

"  Thirty  miles  ! "  cried  Max.  "  Thirty  miles  !  What  new 
powder  can  you  use  ?" 

"  Oh !  I  can  tell  you  everything,  now,"  replied  Herr 
Schultz,  in  a  peculiar  tone.  "  There  is  no  inconvenience  in 
revealing  my  secrets  to  you.  Large  grained  powder  has 
served  its  time.  Gun-cotton  is  what  I  use  ;  its  expansive 
power  is  four  times  that  of  ordinary  powder,  and  I  increase 
it  fivefold  by  mixing  with  it  eight-tenths  of  its  weight  of 
nitrate  of  potash." 

"But,"  observed  Max,  "no  piece,  though  made  of  the 
best  steel,  could  stand  that  long.  After  four  or  five  shots 
your  cannon  will  be  impaired,  and  soon  become  useless." 

"  If  it  were  only  to  fire  one  shot  that  one  would  be 
sufficient!" 

"  It  would  be  an  expensive  one." 

"  It  would  cost  a  million,  for  that  is  the  net  cost  of  the 
gun." 

"  One  shot  worth  a  million  !" 

"What  matter,  so  that  it  destroyed  a  thousand  millions  !" 

"A  thousand  millions  !"  cried  Max. 

"  However,  he  restrained  the  mingled  horror  and  admira 
tion  with  which  this  fearful  agent  of  destruction  inspired 
him,  and  added — 

"  It  is  assuredly  a  wonderful  and  astonishing  piece  of 


ii8  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

artillery,  but,  notwithstanding  its  merits,  it  bears  out  my 
theory,  there  are  improvements  certainly,  but  it  is  all 
imitation,  no  invention." 

"No  invention  !"  responded  Herr  Schultz,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  I  repeat  that  I  have  now  no  secrets  from  you. 
Come  with  me." 

"The  King  of  Steel  and  his  companion  then  left  the 
casemate  and  descended  to  a  lower  story,  by  means  of  an 
hydraulic  lift.  Here  lay  a  large  number  of  long  objects, 
cylindrical  in  shape,  which  might,  from  a  distance,  have 
been  taken  for  dismounted  cannon. 

"There  are  our  shells,"  said  Herr  Schultz. 

"  This  time  Max  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  they 
resembled  nothing  he  had  ever  seen  before.  They  were 
enormous  tubes,  six  feet  in  length  and  three  in  diameter, 
sheathed  in.  lead  in  such  a  way  as  to  fit  into  the  rifling  of 
the  gun,  closed  behind  by  a  steel  plate,  and  the  point 
finished  off  by  a  steel  tip,  supplied  with  a  percussion 
button. 

Nothing  in  their  appearance  indicated  the  special 
nature  of  these  shells;  though  Max  felt  that  in  them 
was  contained  some  terrible  element  of  destruction, 
surpassing  all  that  Jiad  ever  before  been  made  or 
thought  of. 

"Can  you  not  guess?"  asked  Herr  Schultz,  seeing  that 
his  companion  remained  silent. 


Terrible  projectiles. 


Page  1 1 8. 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  119 

"  Indeed,  no,  sir !  Why  should  you  want  a  shell  so  long 
and  so  heavy — in  appearance  at  least  ?" 

"  The  appearance  is  deceitful,"  answered  Herr  Schultz  ; 
"  and  there  is  no  great  difference  in  their  weight  to  that  of 
an  ordinary  shell  of  the  same  calibre.  Come !  I  must  tell 
you  everything.  A  fusee  shell  of  glass,  encased  in  oak, 
charged  with  liquid  carbonic  acid  by  seventy  atmospheres 
of  interior  pressure.  The  fall  provokes  the  explosion  of 
the  case  and  the  return  of  the  liquid  to  a  gaseous 
state.  An -enormous  volume  of  carbonic  acid  gas  rushes 
into  the  air,  and  a  cold  of  a  hundred  degrees  below  zero 
seizes  upon  the  surrounding  atmosphere.  Every  living 
thing  within  a  radius  of  thirty  yards  from  the  centre  of  the 
explosion  is  at  once  frozen  and  suffocated.  I  say  thirty 
yards  as  the  lowest  calculation,  but  the  action  would  really 
extend  much  farther,  say  to  a  hundred  or  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards. 

"  Another  capital  thing  about  it  is,  that  the  carbonic  acid 
gas,  remaining  a  very  long  time  near  the  ground,  by  reason 
of  its  weight,  being  greater  than  that  of  air,  will  preserve 
the  dangerous  properties  of  the  zone  for  many  hours  after 
the  first  explosion,  so  that  any  creature  which  may  attempt 
to  enter  or  pass  through  it,  must  infallibly  perish.  The 
effect  of  that  shot  will  be  both  instantaneous  and  lasting. 
Besides,  with  my  plan,  there  will  be  no  wounded,  only 
dead!" 


^20  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Herr  Schultz  displayed  manifest  pleasure  in  exhibiting 
the  merits  of  his  invention.  His  good  humour  had  returned, 
he  was  flushed  with  pride,  and  his  teeth  gleamed. 

"  You  are  to  imagine,"  he  resumed,  "  a  sufficient  number 
of  my  pieces  of  ordnance  directed  against  a  besieged 
town.  Supposing  one  sufficient  for  the  destruction  of  a 
place  of  two  acres  and  a  half  in  extent,  then,  for  a  town  of 
two  thousand  five  hundred  acres,  we  must  have  a  hundred 
batteries,  each  consisting  of  ten  suitable  guns.  Now,  let  us 
suppose  all  our  guns  in  position,  the  weather  calm  and 
favourable,  the  general  signal  given  by  an  electric  wire. 
In  a  minute  there  would  not  be  a  single  living  being 
remaining  in  an  extent  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
acres  !  The  town  would  be  submerged  in  a  regular  ocean 
of  carbonic  acid  gas  !  The  idea  occurred  to  me  last  year 
on  reading  the  medical  report  of  the  accidental  death  of  a 
little  miner  in  the  Albrecht  pit.  I  had  the  first  inspiration 
at  Naples,  when  I  visited  the  Dog  Grotto.1  But  that  last 
fact  was  needed  to  put  the  finishing  stroke  to  my  thought. 
You  comprehend  the  principle,  do  you  not  ?  An  artificial 

1  The  Grotto  del  Cano,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Naples,  borrows 
its  name  from  the  curious  property  its  atmosphere  possesses  of 
suffocating  a  dog,  or  any  small  four-legged  animal,  without  doing  any 
harm  to  a  man  standing  upright — this  is  owing  to  a  layer  of  about 
two  feet  of  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  is  kept  by  its  specific  weight 
close  to  the  ground. 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  121 

ocean  of  pure  carbonic  acid !  Now,  the  proportion  of  a 
fifth  of  this  gas  would  be  sufficient  to  render  the  air 
unbreathable." 

Max  did  not  utter  a  word.  He  was  regularly  struck 
dumb.  Herr  Schultz  felt  his  triumph  so  keenly,  that  he 
did  not  wish  to  take  advantage  of  it. 

"  There  is  only  one  detail  which  troubles  me,"  said  he. 

"And  what  can  that  be  ?"  asked  Max. 

"  That  I  have  not  succeeded  in  suppressing  the  sound  of 
the  explosion.  It  makes  my  gun  too  much  like  a  common 
cannon.  Just  think  of  what  it  would  be  if  I  could  manage 
to  have  a  silent  shot.  Sudden  death  comes  noiselessly  upon 
a  hundred  thousand  men  at  once,  on  some  calm  and  serene 
night!" 

The  enchanting  prospect  thus  called  up,  threw  Herr 
Schultz  into  a  brown  study.  From  this  reverie,  which  was 
but  a  deep  immersion  in  a  bath  of  self-love,  he  was 
aroused  by  Max  observing — 

"  Very  good,  sir,  very  good  !  but  a  thousand  guns  of  this 
description  mean  time  and  money." 

"  Money  ?  we  are  overflowing  with  it !  Time  ?  Time 
is  ours !" 

And  indeed  this  German,  the  last  of  his  school,  believed 
what  he  said. 

"Well,"  replied  Max,  "your  shell  loaded  with  carbonic 
acid  is  not  perfectly  new  after  all,  for  it  is  derived  from 


122  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

those  suffocating  projectiles  which  have  been  known  for 
many  years ;  but  that  it  may  be  eminently  destructive,  I 
do  not  deny.  Only " 

"  Only  ? " 

"  It  is  light  for  its  size,  and  if  it  is  ever  projected  thirty 
miles " 

"  It  is  only  made  to  go  six,"  answered  Herr  Schultz, 
smiling.  "  But,"  he  added,  pointing  to  another  shell,  "  here 
is  one  of  steel.  This  fellow  is  full,  and  contains  a  hundred 
little  guns,  symmetrically  arranged,  fitted  one  into  the 
other,  like  the  parts  of  a  telescope.  Having  been  fired 
as  projectiles,  they  will  become  cannon  to  vomit  forth 
in  their  turn  little  shells  loaded  with  incendiary  matter. 
It  will  be  a  whole  battery  hurled  through  space,  to 
carry  flame  and  death  into  a  town  by  covering  it  with 
a  shower  of  inextinguishable  fire !  This  has  the  requisite 
weight  to  go  the  thirty  miles  of  which  I  spoke.  In  a 
short  time  a  trial  of  it  will  be  made  in  such  a  way 
that  unbelievers  may  go  if  they  like  and  handle  the 
hundred  thousand  corpses  which  it  will  have  stretched  on 
the  ground ! " 

Here  the  dominoes  gleamed  so  intolerably  in  Herr 
Schultz's  mouth,  that  Max  felt  a  strong  desire  to  smash 
in  a  dozen  or  so  of  them,  but  contained  himself.  He  had 
not  yet  heard  all. 

Herr  Schultz  resumed — 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  123. 


u  I  have  said  that  a  decisive  experiment  is  shortly  to  be 
made." 

"  How  ?     Where  ?"  cried  Max. 

"  How  ?  With  one  of  these  shells,  which  thrown  by  my 
gun  from  the  platform,  will  cross  the  Cascade  mountains. 
Where  ?  There  exists  a  city,  separated  from  us  by  at  most 
thirty  miles,  upon  whose  inhabitants  it  will  come  like 
a  thunder-clap,  for  even  if  they  expected  it,  they  could 
not  ward  it  off,  or  escape  the  startling  effects.  This  is 
now  the  5th  of  September.  Well,  on  the  I3th,  at  a 
quarter  before  midnight,  Frankville  will  disappear  from  off 
American  soil !  The  burning  of  Sodom  will  be  rivalled. 
Professor  Schultz,  in  his  turn,  will  let  loose  the  fires  of 
Heaven !" 

At  this  unexpected  declaration  Max  felt  the  blood  curdle 
in  his  veins.  Fortunately  Herr  Schultz  did  not  perceive 
his  agitation. 

"  Now  you  see,"  he  continued  in  an  easy  tone,  "  we  act 
just  contrary  to  the  founders  of  Frankville.  We  search  for 
the  secret  of  abridging  the  lives  of  men,  whilst  they  seek  to 
lengthen  them.  However,  everything  has  an  object  in 
nature,  and  Dr.  Sarrasin,  by  founding  that  isolated  city,  has, 
without  suspecting  it,  placed  a  most  magnificent  field  of 
experiments  within  my  reach." 

Max  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears. 

"  But,"  said  he,  and  the  involuntary  tremor  in  his  voice 


124  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

attracted  for  a  moment  the  attention  of  the  King  of  Steel, 
"  the  inhabitants  of  Frankville  have  done  nothing  to  you, 
sir.  You  have  not,  so  far  as  I  know,  any  reason  for  picking 
a  quarrel  with  them.'7 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  replied  Herr  Schultz,  "  in  your  brain, 
though  well  organised  in  other  respects,  there  is  a  fund  of 
Celtic  ideas,  which  would  do  you  much  injury  were  you  to 
live  long  enough  !  Right — Good — Evil  are  purely  relative, 
and  quite  conventional  words.  Nothing  is  positive  but  the 
grand  laws  of  nature.  The  law  of  competition  has  the  same 
claim  as  that  of  gravitation.  It  is  folly  to  resist,  while  to 
submit  and  follow  in  the  way  it  points  out,  is  only  wise 
and  reasonable,  and  therefore  I  mean  to  destroy  Doctor 
Sarrasin's  city.  Thanks  to  my  cannon,  my  fifty  thousand 
Germans  will  easily  make  an  end  of  the  hundred  thousand 
dreamers  over  there,  who  now  constitute  a  group  condemned 
to  perish." 

Seeing  that  an  attempt  to  argue  with  Herr  Schultz 
would  be  useless,  Max  did  not  try  to  soften  him. 

The  two  then  left  the  shell  chamber,  closed  the  secret 
doors,  and  returned  to  the  dining-room. 

In  the  coolest,  most  natural  way,  the  professor  again 
lifted  his  tankard  to  his  lips,  touched  a  bell,  called  for  a 
pipe  in  the  place  of  the  one  he  had  broken,  and  then 
addressing  the  footman — 

"Are  Arminius  and  Sigimer  there?"  he  asked. 


Formidable  ruards. 


Page  125. 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  125 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Tell  them  to  remain  within  call." 

When  the  servant  had  left  the  room,  the  King  of  Steel 
turned  to  Max  and  looked  him  full  in  the  face. 

The  latter's  eyes  did  not  quail  before  that  look  of  almost 
metallic  hardness. 

"You  mean  really,"  said  he,  "to  put  your  project,  into 
execution  ?" 

"Really.  I  know  the  situation  and  the  latitude  and 
longitude  of  Frankville  to  the  tenth  of  a  second,  and  on  the 
1 3th  of  September,  at  a  quarter  before  midnight,  it  will 
cease  to  be." 

"  Perhaps  you  ought  to  have  kept  this  plan  an  absolute 
secret." 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  answered  Herr  Schultz,  "  decidedly 
your  mind  never  would  become  logical.  This  makes  me 
regret  the  less  that  you  must  die  young." 

At  these  words  Max  started  up. 

"  Is  it  possible  you  do  not  understand,"  added  Herr 
Schultz,  coldly,  "  that  I  never  speak  of  my  plans  but  before 
those  who  cannot  repeat  them  ?" 

The  bell  rang.  Arminius  and  Sigimer,  two  giants, 
appeared  at  the  door. 

"  You  wished  to  know  my  secret,"  said  Herr  Schultz , 
"you  do  know  it.  Nothing  remains  for  you  now  but  to 
die!" 


126  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Max  did  not  reply. 

"You  are  too  intelligent,"  resumed  Herr  Schultz,  "to 
suppose  that  I  can  let  you  live,  now  that  you  know  all 
about  my  plans.  That  would  be  an  act  of  unpardonable 
carelessness  ;  that  would  be  illogical.  The  greatness  of  my 
aim  forbids  me  to  compromise  its  success  for  the  considera 
tion  of  a  relative  value  so  trifling  as  the  life  of  a  man — 
even  of  such  a  man  as  you,  my  dear  fellow,  whose  good 
cerebral  organisation  I  most  particularly  esteem.  Now  I 
truly  regret  that  a  little  movement  of  self-love  should  have 
carried  me  away  and  placed  me  under  the  necessity  of 
suppressing  you.  But  you  must  understand  that  in  the 
face  of  the  interests  to  which  I  have  devoted  myself,  there 
can  be  no  question  of  sentiment.  I  may  as  well  tell  you 
now,  that  it  was  for  having  penetrated  my  secret  that  your 
predecessor  met  his  death,  and  not  by  an  explosion  of 
dynamite  !  The  rule  is  strict,  it  must  be  inflexible  !  I  can 
alter  nothing." 

Max  looked  at  Herr  Schultz.  He  understood  by  the 
.-sound  of  his  voice,  by  the  unrelenting  obstinacy  of  that 
bald  head  that  he  was  lost.  He  did  not  give  himself  the 
trouble  of  uttering  a  word  of  protest. 

"When,  and  by  what  death  shall  I  die?"  he  merely 
asked. 

"Don't  be  uneasy  about  that,"  replied  Herr  Schultz, 
composedly.  "  You  will  die  ;  but  suffering  will  be  spared 


THE  DRAGON'S  DEN.  127 


you.  You  will  not  wake  up  some  morning.  That 
is  all" 

At  a  sign  from  the  King  of  Steel,  Max  found  himself  led 
away,  and  shut  into  his  room,  the  door  of  which  was 
guarded  by  the  two  giants. 

But  when  he  found  himself  alone,  he  thought  with  a 
shudder  of  agony  and  rage  of  the  doctor,  his  relations, 
compatriots,  all  those  whom  he  loved. 

"The  death  which  awaits  me  is  nothing,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "  But  how  am  I  to  avert  the  danger  which 
threatens  them  ?" 


128  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
p.  P.  c. 

THE  situation  was  indeed  serious.  What  could  poor 
Max  do,  he  whose  hours  were  already  numbered,  and 
whose  last  night  might  have  come  with  the  setting 
sun. 

He  did  not  sleep  for  an  instant,  not  from  the  dread  of 
never  awaking,  as  Herr  Schultz  had  said,  but  because  his 
heart  was  too  full  of  thoughts  of  Frankville  and  of  the 
impending  catastrophe. 

'<  What  shall  I  attempt  ? "  he  thought  to  himself.  "  To 
destroy  that  gun  ?  Blow  up  the  tower  it  stands  on  ?  How 
could  I  manage  it  ?  Escape  !  Escape  ?  when  my  room  is 
guarded  by  a  couple  of  giants  ?  And  then  suppose  I  could 
get  away  from  Stahlstadt  before  the  I3th  of  September, 
how  could  I  help  them  ?  To  be  sure,  if  not  our  beloved 
city,  I  might  at  least  save  the  inhabitants.  I  might  fly  to 
them  shouting  "  Escape !  escape  without  delay !  You  are 


p.  P.  c.  129 

in  danger  of  perishing  by  fire  and  steel !     Fly  all  of  you 
for  your  lives  !" 

Then  Max's  thoughts  passed  into  another  channel. 

"That  villain  Schultz!"  he  thought.  "Even  admitting 
that  he  has  exaggerated  the  destructive  effects  of  his  shell, 
and  that  he  cannot  really  fire  the  whole  town,  it  is  very 
certain  that  with  a  single  shot  he  can  burn  a  considerable 
part !  It's  a  frightful  machine  he  has  invented,  and  not 
withstanding  the  distance  between  the  two  towns,  it  will 
easily  send  the  projectile  over  it !  The  speed,  too,  must  be 
twenty  times  superior  to  any  hitherto  obtained.  Something 
like  ten  thousand  yards,  or  nine  miles  a  second !  It's 
actually  a  third  of  the  speed  of  the  earth  in  its  orbit !  Is 
it  possible  ?  Oh,  if  only  that  horrible  gun  would  blow  up 
at  the  first  shot !  But  there  is  no  hope  of  that,  for  the 
metal  of  which  it  is  made  will  stand  anything.  How 
exactly  the  wretch  knows  the  position  of  Frankville ! 
Without  going  out  of  his  den,  he  can  point  his  cannon  with 
mathematical  precision,  and,  as  he  said,  the  shell  will  un 
doubtedly  fall  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city!  How  can 
the  unhappy  inhabitants  be  warned  ?" 

Max  had  not  closed  an  eyelid  when  day  dawned.  He 
then  rose  from  the  bed,  on  which  he  had  tossed  in  feverish 
restlessness.  "  Come,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  it  will  be  for 
another  night.  As  this  executioner  means  to  spare  me 
suffering,  he  no  doubt  will  wait  till  sleep,  getting  the  better 

K 


130  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

of  my  anxiety,  has  overpowered  me.  And  then !  What 
sort  of  death  can  he  have  in  store  for  me  ?  Does  he  think 
of  killing  me  with  some  decoction  of  prussic  acid  whilst  I 
sleep  ?  Will  he  introduce  some  of  that  carbonic  acid  gas, 
which  he  has  at  his  command,  into  my  room  ?  Will  he 
not  rather  use  it  in  a  liquid  form,  such  as  he  has  in  his  glass 
shells,  when  its  sudden  return  to  a  gaseous  state  produces 
a  hundred  degrees  of  frost  ?  And  the  next  day,  instead  of 
'  me/  instead  of  this  strong,  well-constituted  body,  so  full 
of  life,  there  will  be  nothing  but  a  dried,  frozen,  shrivelled 
mummy !  Oh,  the  savage !  Well,  well,  if  it  must  be  so, 
let  my  heart  be  frozen  and  my  life  wither  away  in  that 
unbearable  atmosphere,  if  only  my  friends,  Doctor  Sarrasin, 
his  family,  Jeannette — my  little  Jeannette — may  be  saved  ! 
But  to  effect  that  I  must  escape.  Well,  escape  I 
will!" 

As  he  uttered  these  words,  Max,  though  he  believed 
himself  locked  into  his  room,  instinctively  laid  his  hand  on 
the  handle  of  the  door. 

To  his  great  surprise  it  opened,  and  he  went  down  as 
usual,  and  out  into  the  garden,  where  he  was  accustomed 
to  walk. 

"  Ah,"  he  thought,  "  I  am  a  prisoner  in  the  Central  Block, 
though  not  in  my  room.  That's  something  in  my  favour !" 

However,  no  sooner  was  Max  outside,  than  he  saw  that, 
though  apparently  free,  he  in  reality  could  not  make  a  step 


P.   P.  C.  131 

without  being  escorted  by  the  two  personages  who  answered 
to  the  historic,  or  rather  pre-historic,  names  of  Arminius 
and  Sigimer. 

He  had  often  wondered,  when  he  met  them  about  the 
place,  what  could  be  the  duty  of  those  two  huge  men  in 
grey  cloaks,  with  their  bull  necks,  herculean  muscles,  dark 
red  faces,  bristling  with  thick  moustaches  and  bushy 
whiskers. 

He  now  knew  what  that  duty  was.  They  were  the 
executioners  of  Herr  Schultz's  darkest  deeds,  who  for  the 
present  were  acting  as  his  body-guard  ! 

These  two  giants  never  let  him  out  of  their  sight,  lying 
at  the  door  of  his  room,  and  dogging  his  steps  when  he 
walked  in  the  park.  The  formidable  array  of  revolvers 
and  daggers  which  each  carried  in  his  belt  rendered 
hopeless  any  attempt  to  escape  from  them. 

With  all  this,  they  were  as  dumb  as  fish. 

Max  tried,  in  a  diplomatic  way,  to  get  up  a  conversation 
vvith  them,  but  only  received  a  ferocious  glare  in  reply. 
Even  the  offer  of  a  glass  of  beer,  which  he.  had  some 
reason  to  suppose  irresistible,  was  made  in  vain.  After 
observing  them  for  fifteen  hours,  he  discovered  that  they 
had  one  weakness,  only  one — a  pipe,  which  they  took  the 
liberty  of  smoking  close  at  his  heels.  This  single  weakness 
Max  determined  to  turn  to  account.  How,  he  did  not 
know,  he  could  not  even  imagine,  but  he  had  vowed  to 

K  2 


132  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

escape,  and  nothing  should  be  neglected  that  could  in  any 
way  assist  him. 

Time  was  pressing.     What  was  to  be  done  ? 

At  the  least  sign  of  rebellion  or  flight,  Max  was  sure  of 
receiving  a  couple  of  bullets  in  his  head.  Even  supposing 
they  missed,  he  was  still  in  the  centre  of  a  triple  fortified 
line,  guarded  by  a  triple  row  of  sentinels. 

According  to  his  custom,  the  former  pupil  of  the  Central 
School  correctly  put  the  situation  in  the  form  of  a  mathe 
matical  problem. 

"  Given,  a  man  guarded  by  two  unscrupulous  rufiians> 
individually  stronger  than  he,  and  armed  to  the  teeth. 
The  man  must  first  escape  the  vigilance  of  these  warders. 
This  done,  he  must  get  out  of  a  fortified  place,  all  the 
entrances  to  which  are  strictly  watched." 

Max  pondered  this  double  question  a  hundred  times, 
but  always  came  to  the  conclusion  "  Which  is  impossible." 
However,  the  gravity  of  his  situation  seemed  to  sharpen 
all  his  faculties  of  invention.  Whether  chance  alone  gave 
the  finishing  touch  or  not  would  be  difficult  to  say. 

It  happened  that  the  next  day,  as  Max  was  walking  in 
the  park,  his  eyes  fell  on  a  shrub,  the  appearance  of  which 
instantly  attracted  him. 

It  was  a  dull-looking  herbaceous  plant,  its  leaves 
alternately  oval,  pointed  and  double,  with  great  red  bell- 
shaped  monopetalous  flowers  hanging  by  auxiliary  stalks. 


P.   P.  C.  133 

Max  had  merely  studied  botany  as  an  amateur,  but  it 
immediately  occurred  to  him  that  this  shrub  had  the 
characteristics  of  one  of  the  order  Solanaceae. 

Quite  at  a  venture,  he  gathered  a  leaf  and  slightly 
chewed  it  as  he  pursued  his  walk.  He  was  not  mistaken. 
A  feeling  of  heaviness  in  his  limbs,  accompanied  by  a 
sensation  of  nausea,  soon  convinced  him  that  he  had  close 
at  hand  a  natural  laboratory  of  bella-donna,  that  is  to  say, 
the  most  active  of  all  narcotics. 

He  strolled  on  until  he  reached  a  small  artificial  lake, 
which  stretched  away  to  the  southern  end  of  the  park,  and 
supplied  a  cascade,  which,  by  the  bye,  was  evidently  copied 
from  that  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

"  Where  does  the  water  of  that  cascade  go  to  ?  "  thought 
Max. 

It  first  flowed  into  the  bed  of  a  little  river,  which,  after 
describing  various  turns  and  bends,  finally  disappeared  at 
the  limits  of  the  park. 

There  was  evidently  an  outlet,  and,  to  all  appearance, 
the  river  escaped  by  filling  one  of  the  subterranean  channels 
which  watered  the  plain  beyond  Stahlstadt. 

In  this  Max  saw  a  gate  of  egress.  It  was  certainly  not 
a  carriage  way,  but  it  was  an  opening. 

'  And  suppose  the  channel  is  barred  by  an  iron  grating !  " 
objected  the  voice  of  prudence. 

"  Nothing  venture  nothing  have !     Files  weren't  made  to 


134  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

gnaw  away  corks,  and  there  are  capital  files  in  the 
laboratory  ! "  so  answered  another  ironical  voice,  one  that 
prompted  daring  resolves. 

In  two  minutes  Max's  determination  was  made,  An 
idea — as  it  may  be  called — had  darted  into  his  mind,  one 
that  perhaps  could  not  after  all  be  carried  out,  but  which 
he  would  attempt,  if  death  did  not  first  overtake  him. 

He  sauntered  back  towards  the  shrub  with  red  flowers, 
and  gathered  two  or  three  leaves  in  such  a  way  that  his 
guards  could  not  fail  to  see  him. 

Then,  returning  to  his  room,  he  quite  openly  dried  these 
leaves  before  the  fire,  rubbed  them  in  his  hands  to  crush 
them,  and  mixed  them  with  his  tobacco. 

During  the  six  following  days,  Max,  to  his  extreme 
surprise,  woke  up  quite  well  every  morning.  Had  Herr 
Schultz,  whom  he  had  not  again  seen  and  never  met  in  his 
walks — had  he  given  up  his  plan  of  making  away  with  him  ? 
No,  it  was  not  likely,  any  more  than  he  would  relinquish 
that  of  destroying  Doctor  Sarrasin's  city. 

Max  made  use  of  this  permission  to  live,  and  every  day 
renewed  his  manoeuvre.  He  took  care,  of  course,  never  to 
smoke  the  bella-donna  himself,  and  therefore  kept  two 
packets  of  tobacco,  one  for  his  personal  use,  the  other  for 
daily  show.  His  object  was  simply  to  arouse  the  curiosity 
of  Arminius  and  Sigimer.  Confirmed  smokers,  such  as 
these  two  ruffians,  were  sure  soon  to  notice  the  shrub  from 


Max's  ruse. 


Page  134. 


p.  P.  c.  135 

which  he  took  the  leaves,  imitate  the  operation,  and  try 
how  they  liked  the  mixture. 

This  supposition  was  correct,  and  the  result  proved 
equal  to  his  anticipations. 

On  the  sixth  day,  the  eve  of  the  fatal  1 3th  of  September, 
Max,  as  he  glanced  carelessly  behind  him,  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  his  guards  collect  a  little  store  of  the 
green  leaves. 

An  hour  later,  he  observed  that  they  were  drying  them 
at  the  fire,  rubbing  them  in  their  great  horny  hands,  and 
mixing  them  with  their  tobacco.  They  seemed  already 
licking  their  lips  in  anticipation. 

Was  it  Max's  intention  merely  to  stupefy  Arminius  and 
Sigimer  ?  No,  that  was  not  sufficient.  Eluding  their 
vigilance  he  had  still  to  pass  down  that  stream,  even  if 
it  should  prove  to  be  miles  in  length.  But  he  had 
arranged  his  plan.  It  was  true,  there  were  nine  chances 
in  ten  that  he  would  perish ;  but  as  he  was  already  con 
demned  to  death,  that  did  not  much  matter. 

Evening  came,  with  it  the  supper  hour,  afterwards  a  walk. 
The  inseparable  trio  took  the  way  into  the  park. 

Without  hesitating,  without  losing  a  minute,  Max  pro 
ceeded  straight  towards  a  building,  standing  alone,  and 
which  was  no  other  than  the  workshop  where  all  the  models 
were  made.  He  sat  down  on  a  bench  outside,  filled  his 
pipe,  and  began  to  smoke. 


136        THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Arminius  and  Sigimer,  who  had  their  pipes  all  ready,  sat 
down  on  a  neighbouring  seat  and  soon  were  puffing  away. 
The  effects  of  the  narcotic  were  not  Ions;  in  becoming 

O  '         O 

visible. 

Before  five  minutes  had  passed,  the  two  clumsy  giants 
were  yawning  and  stretching  like  bears  in  a  cage.  Their 
eyes  grew  dim,  a  dull  sound  was  in  their  ears  ;  their  com 
plexions  changed  from  red  to  purple,  their  arms  fell  useless 
at  their  sides,  their  heads  dropped  on  their  breasts. 

The  pipes  slipped  to  the  ground. 

Then  followed  loud  snoring,  mingled  with  the  twittering 
of  the  birds,  who  lived  all  the  year  round  in  the  perpetual 
summer  of  the  Stahlstadt  park. 

Now  was  Max's  time.  His  impatience  may  be  imagined, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  in  the  next  night,  at  a  quarter 
before  midnight,  Frankville,  having  been  sentenced  by  Herr 
Schultz,  would  cease  to  exist. 

He  darted  into  the  workshop.  It  was  a  large  building, 
a  perfect  museum  of  models.  Hydraulic  machines,  locomo 
tives,  steam  engines,  portable  engines,  suction  pumps, 
boring  machines,  ships,  ship  machinery,  in  fact,  the  master 
pieces  would  be  too  numerous  to  mention.  It  was  a 
collection  of  models  in  wood  of  everything  made  in  the 
Schultz  manufactory  since  its  foundation,  and  you  may  be 
sure  that  many  cannon,  torpedoes,  and  shells  were  amongst 
them. 


A  destructive  fire. 


Page  137, 


p.  P.  c.  137 

The  night  was  dark,  and  favourable  to  the  young 
Alsacian's  daring  project.  Besides  accomplishing  his 
escape  he  hoped  to  destroy  the  Stahlstadt  Model  Museum. 

How  he  longed  to  annihilate  that  huge  Bull  Tower,  with 
its  destructive  cannon  and  all  it  contained  ;  but  it  was 
useless  to  think  of  that. 

Max's  first,  care  was  to  seize  a  little  steel  saw,  fit  for 
filing  iron,  which  was  hanging  from  a  tool  rack,  and  slip  it 
into  his  pocket.  Then  taking  a  match  from  his  box,  he 
struck  it,  set  fire  to  a  heap  of  drawings  and  slight  fir-wood 
models,  and  rushed  out. 

The  fire  spreading  among  all  these  inflammable  materials 
increased  with  great  rapidity,  and  flames  speedily  burst 
forth  from  every  part  of  the  building.  The  alarm-bell 
rang,  the  electric  wire  carried  the  news  to  every  quarter  of 
Stahlstadt,  peals  sounded,  and  firemen  and  engines  hastened 
from  all  directions. 

At  the  same  moment  Herr  Schultz,  whose  presence 
was  well  calculated  to  encourage  the  workers,  made  his 
appearance. 

In  a  very  few  minutes,  the  boilers  were  under  pressure 
and  the  powerful  pumps  at  work.  But  in  spite  of  the 
deluges  of  water  which  fell  on  the  walls  and  roofs,  the  fire 
gained  force,  and  it  was  soon  evident  that  all  hope  of 
mastering  it  must  be  given  up.  It  was  a  grand  and  terrible 
spectacle. 


138  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Crouched  in  a  corner,  Max  never  lost  sight  of  Herr 
Schultz,  who  cheered  on  his  men  as  if  assaulting  a  town. 
There  was  no  necessity  for  giving  a  further  helping  hand 
to  the  fire.  The  Museum,  standing  as  it  did,  alone  in  the 
park,  would  soon  be  entirely  consumed. 

Herr  Schultz,  seeing  that  the  building  itself  could  not 
possibly  be  saved,  suddenly  shouted  out — 

"Ten  thousand  dollars  to  whoever  will  save  model,, 
number  3175,  from  the  glass  case  in  the  centre  !" 

This  was  the  very  mould  of  Schultz's  famous  cannon, 
and  he  valued  it  above  all  other  things  in  the  Museum. 

To  reach  it,  however,  a  person  would  be  compelled  to 
make  his  way  through  a  deluge  of  sparks  and  falling  wood, 
and  an  unbreathable  atmosphere  of  dense  black  smoke.  It 
was  ten  to  one  that  he  would  escape  with  his  life.  Not 
withstanding,  therefore,  the  magnificence  of  Herr  Schultz's 
offer,  no  one  answered  to  his  appeal. 

At  last  a  man  presented  himself. 

It  was  Max. 

"  I  will  go,"  said  he. 

'You  !"  exclaimed  Herr  Schultz. 

'Yes,  I!" 

"It  won't  save  you  from  the  sentence  of  death  pronounced 
against  you,  so  don't  imagine  it !" 

"  I  do  not  propose  to  avoid  that,  but  to  snatch  your 
precious  model  from  destruction." 


P.  P.  C.  139 

"  Go  then,"  answered  Herr  Schultz,  "  and  I  swear  that  if 
you  succeed,  the  ten  thousand  dollars  shall  be  faithfully 
made  over  to  your  heirs." 

"  I  will  depend  on  you  for  that,"  returned  Max. 

Several  of  the  Galibert  apparatus  were  brought  to  him  ; 
they  were  always  at  hand  in  case  of  fire,  as  they  enabled 
men  to  venture  into  the  densest  smoke.  Max  had  already 
made  use.  of  one  when  he  tried  to  save  from  death  dame 
Bauer's  boy,  poor  little  Carl. 

One  of  these  was  soon  filled  with  air  and  placed  on  his 
back.  He  put  the  pincers  on  his  nose,  took  the  tube  in 
his  mouth,  and  darted  into  the  smoke. 

"At  last !"  said  he.  "  This  air  will  last  for  a  quarter  of 
an  hour !  Heaven  grant  that  may  be  time  enough  !" 

As  may  be  imagined,  Max  had  not  the  slightest 
intention  of  endeavouring  to  save  Schultz's  cannon  model. 
His  life  every  moment  in  dire  peril,  he  made  his  way  across 
the  smoke-filled  hall,  amidst  a  shower  of  blazing  brands 
and  charred  beams.  Mercifully  none  of  them  touched  him, 
and  just  as  the  roof  fell  in  with  a  fearful  crash,  Max  escaped 
at  the  opposite  side  of  the  building. 

To  fly  towards  the  stream,  run  along  its  banks  till  he 
reached  the  unknown  opening  and  plunge  in,  was  the  work 
of  only  a  few  seconds. 

The  rapid  current  swept  him  along  in  a  depth  of  seven 
or  eight  feet.  He  had  no  need  to  guide  himself,  for  the 


140  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

water  bore  him  as  straight  as  if  he  had  held  Ariadne's 
clue. 

He  soon  found  that  he  had  entered  a  narrow  channel,  a 
sort  of  pipe,  quite  filled  by  the  overflow  of  the  river. 

"What  can  be  the  length  of  this  tunnel  ?"  thought  Max. 
41  Everything  depends  on  that !  If  I  do  not  pass  through 
it  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  air  will  fail  and  I  am 
lost!" 

He  maintained  his  coolness  and  presence  of  mind.  Ten 
minutes  passed,  when  suddenly  he  was  driven  up  against 
some  obstacle. 

This  was  an  iron  grating  on  hinges,  barring  the  way 
down  the  tunnel. 

"  This  is  what  I  feared  !  "  thought  Max  simply. 

Without  losing  a  moment,  he  took  the  saw  from  his 
pocket,  and  set  to  work  on  the  bolt  of  the  staple. 

Five  minutes  labour  did  not  loosen  it,  the  grating 
remained  obstinately  closed.  Already  Max  breathed  with 
difficulty.  There  came  a  buzzing  in  his  ears,  the  blood 
mounted  in  his  head,  he  felt  he  would  soon  lose  con 
sciousness. 

He  endeavoured,  however,  to  make  the  most  of  the  small 
quantity  of  air  remaining,  by  taking  breath  as  seldom  as 
possible !  Though  half  sawn  through,  the  bolt  would  not 
yield ! 

At  that  moment  the  saw  slipped  from  his  hands. 


p.  P.  c.  141 

"  Surely  God  himself  cannot  be  against  me !  "  was  his 
thought. 

And  grasping  the  grating  with  both  hands,  he  shook  it 
with  the  despairing  energy  given  by  the  instinct  of  self- 
preservation. 

The  grating  opened.  The  bolt  had  given  way,  and 
the  current  carried  onwards  the  daring  Alsacian,  nearly 
suffocated,  yet  still  feebly  struggling,  as  he  inhaled  the 

last  particles  of  air  in  the  reservoir  ! 

****** 

The  next  day,  when  Herr  Schultz's  men  ventured  into 
the  ruins  left  by  the  fire,  they  searched  in  vain  among  all 
the  debris,  and  still  smouldering  cinders  for  any  trace  of 
human  remains.  It  was  evident  that  the  brave  workman 
had  perished. 

His  daring  act  astonished  none  of  his  friends  who  had 
known  him  in  the  different  workshops. 

The  precious  model  was  not  saved,  but  the  man  who  was 
acquainted  with  the  secrets  of  the  Steel  King  was  dead. 

"Heaven  is  witness  that  I  wished  to  spare  him  all 
suffering,"  said  Herr  Schultz  to  himself,  in  his  usual  serene 
fashion.  "  At  any  rate,  as  I  know  not  his  heirs,  I  am  saved 
ten  thousand  dollars !" 

Such  was  the  only  funeral  oration  pronounced  by  the 
philosophical  professor  over  the  supposed  grave  of  our 
young  Alsacian  ! 


142  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AN   ARTICLE  FROM   *  UNSERE   CENTURIE/  A  GERMAN 
REVIEW. 

A  MONTH  before  the  period  at  which  the  events  we  have 
just  related  occurred,  a  review,  in  a  salmon-coloured 
wrapper,  entitled  "  Our  Century,"  published  the  following 
article  on  the  subject  of  Frankville,  an  article  which  was 
particularly  relished  by  the  fastidious  people  of  the 
German  Empire,  perhaps,  because  it  only  studied  that  city 
from  a  purely  material  point  of  view  : 

"  We  have  already  given  our  readers  an  account  of  the 
extraordinary  phenomenon  which  has  been  produced  on 
the  western  coast  of  the  United  States.  The  great 
American  republic,  owing  to  the  large  proportion  of  emi 
grants  included  in  its  population,  has  for  long  accustomed 
the  world  to  a  succession  of  surprises ;  but  the  last,  and 
certainly  the  most  singular,  is  that  of  a  city  named  Frank 
ville.  Though  the  very  idea  of  it  did  not  exist  five  years 


Frankville. 


Page  142. 


AN   ARTICLE   FROM   '  UNSERE   CENTURIE.'  143 

ago,  it  is  now  flourishing,  and  in  the  highest  degree  of 
prosperity. 

"  This  marvellous  city  has  risen  as  if  by  enchantment  on 
the  balmy  shores  of  the  Pacific.  We  will  not  inquire 
whether  it  is  true  (as  we  are  assured)  that  the  first  plan 
and  idea  of  this  enterprise  is  due  to  a  Frenchman,  Doctor 
Sarrasin.  The  thing  is  possible,  as  this  doctor  may  boast 
a  distant  relationship  with  our  illustrious  King  of  Steel. 
We  may  also  say  in  passing,  it  is  rumoured  that  a 
considerable  inheritance,  which  should  properly  have 
come  to  Herr  Schultz,  has  had  something  to  do  with 
the  founding  of  Frankville.  Wherever  any  good  springs 
up  in  the  world,  we  may  be  certain  that  it  is  from 
German  seed  ;  this  is  a  truth  we  are  proud  of  stating 
whenever  an  opportunity  offers.  But,  however  that  may 
be,  we  now  wish  to  give  our  readers  some  precise  and 
authentic  details  on  the  subject  of  the  spontaneous  vegeta 
tion  of  a  model  city. 

"  It  is  useless  to  look  for  its  name  on  the  map.  Even  the 
great  atlas  in  three  hunderd  and  seventy-eight  folio  volumes, 
by  our  eminent  Tuchtigmann,  in  which  every  thicket  and 
clump  of  trees  in  the  old  and  new  world  are  put  in  with 
such  exactitude,  even  this  noble  monument  to  geographical 
science,  designed  for  the  use  of  sharpshooters,  does  not 
bear  the  least  trace  of  Frankville. 

The  place  where  the  new  city  now  stands  was  five  years 


144  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

ago  a  complete  desert.  The  exact  spot  lies  43°  n'  3" 
north  latitude,  and  124°  41'  17"  west  longitude. 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  this  is  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  secondary  chain  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  called  the  Cascade  Mountains,  sixty  miles  to 
the  north  of  White  Cape,  Oregon  State,  North  America. 

"  This  most  advantageous  site  has  been  carefully  sought 
and  chosen  from  among  a  number  of  others.  The  pro 
minent  reasons  for  its  adoption  are  the  temperate  climate 
of  the  northern  hemisphere,  which  has  always  been  at  the 
head  of  terrestrial  civilisation  ;  its  position,  in  the  middle 
of  a  federative  republic,  and  in  a  still  new  State,  which  has 
allowed  it  to  secure  its  independence,  and  rights  similar  to 
those  possessed  by  the  principality  of  Monaco  in  Europe, 
on  the  condition  that  after  a  certain  number  of  years  it 
would  enter  the  Union.  Its  situation  on  the  Ocean,  which 
is  becoming  more  and  more  the  great  highway  of  the 
globe  ;  the  varied,  fertile,  and  salubrious  nature  of  the  soil ; 
the  proximity  of  a  chain  of  mountains,  sheltering  it  from 
the  north,  south,  and  east  wrinds,  leaving  to  the  fresh 
Pacific  breeze  the  care  of  renovating  the  atmosphere  of 
the  city  ;  the  possession  of  a  little  river,  whose  fresh,  sweet, 
clear  water,  oxygenated  by  repeated  falls,  and  by  the 
rapidity  of  its  course,  arrives  perfectly  pure  at  the  sea ; 
lastly,  a  natural  port,  formed  by  a  long  curved  promontory, 
which  may  easily  be  enlarged  by  moles. 


AN  ARTICLE  FROM   '  UNSERE   CENTURIE.'  145 

"A  few  secondary  advantages  may  be  mentioned,  such  as 
the  proximity  of  fine  marble  and  stone  quarries,  bearings 
of  kaolin,  and  even  traces  of  auriferous  ore.  In  fact,  this 
last  detail  was  almost  the  cause  of  the  site  being  given  up, 
for  the  founders  of  the  town  feared  that  the  gold  fever 
might  come  in  the  way  of  their  plans.  Fortunately, 
however,  the  nuggets  were  found  to  be  small  and  not 
numerous. 

"The  choice  of  a  territory,  although  determined  upon 
after  serious  and  close  study,  took  but  a  few  days,  and 
was  not  made  the  subject  of  a  special  expedition.  Science 
is  now  so  far  advanced  that,  without  leaving  his  study,  a 
man  may  gather  exact  and  particular  information  about 
the  most  distant  regions. 

"  This  point  decided,  two  commissioners  of  the  organisa 
tion  committee  took  the  first  boat  from  Liverpool,  arrived 
in  eleven  days  at  New  York,  in  seven  more  at  San 
Francisco,  where  they  chartered  a  steamer,  which  in  ten 
hours  landed  them  on  the  proposed  site. 

"To  come  to  terms  with  the  legislature  of  Oregon,  to 
obtain  a  grant  of  twelve  miles  of  land  on  the  shores  of  the 
sea  on  the  crest  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  to  indemnify 
with  a  few  millions  of  dollars  the  half-dozen  planters  who 
had  some  real  or  supposed  rights  on  the  ground,  all  this 
business  did  not  take  more  than  a  month. 

"By  January  1872,  the  territory  was  already  surveyed, 

L 


146  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

measured,  laid  out,  and  an  army  of  twenty  thousand 
Chinese  coolies,  under  the  direction  of  five  hundred  over 
seers  and  European  engineers,  were  hard  at  work.  Placards 
posted  up  all  over  the  State  of  California,  an  advertisement 
van  permanently  attached  to  the  rapid  train,  which  starts 
every  morning  from  San  Francisco  to  traverse  the 
American  continent,  and  a  daily  article  in  the  twenty-three 
newspapers  of  that  town,  were  sufficient  to  ensure  the 
recruiting  of  the  labourers.  It  was  not  even  found 
necessary  to  resort  to  the  expedient  of  publishing  on  a 
grand  scale,  by  means  of  gigantic  letters  sculptured  on  the 
peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  that  men  were  wanted.  It 
must  be  said  that  the  influx  of  Chinese  coolies  into  western 
America  had  just  at  this  time  caused  much  perturbation  in 
the  labour  market.  Several  States  had,  in  the  interest  of 
their  own  population,  actually  expelled  these  unfortunate 
people  en  masse.  The  building  of  Frankville  came  just  in 
time  to  save  them  from  perishing.  Their  wages,  fixed  at 
a  dollar  a  day,  were  not  to  be  paid  them  until  the  works 
were  finished,  and  their  rations  were  distributed  by  the 
municipal  administration.  Thus  all  the  disorder  and  shame 
ful  speculations,  which  so  often  attend  any  great  displace 
ment  of  population,  were  avoided.  The  wages  were  deposited 
every  week,  in  the  presence  of  delegates,  in  the  great  Bank 
at  San  Francisco,  and  every  coolie  was  warned  that  when 
he  drew  it  out,  he  was  not  to  return.  This  precaution  was 


The  Frank ville  railway. 


Page  147. 


AN   ARTICLE  FROM   '  UNSERE  CENTURIE.'  147 

absolutely  necessary  to  get  rid  of  a  yellow  population, 
which  would  otherwise  have  infallibly  lowered  the  tone 
and  standard  of  the  new  city.  The  founders  having, 
besides,  reserved  the  right  of  granting  or  refusing  per 
mission  to  live  there,  the  application  of  this  measure  was 
comparatively  easy. 

"  The  first  great  enterprise  was  the  establishment  of  a 
branch  railway,  connecting  the  territory  of  the  new  town 
with  the  trunk  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  and  running  to 
Sacramento.  These  works,  and  those  of  the  harbour,  were 
pushed  on  with  extraordinary  activity.  In  April,  the  first 
train,  direct  from  New  York,  brought  to  the  Frankville 
terminus  the  members  of  the  committee,  who,  until  this 
time,  had  remained  in  Europe. 

"  In  this  interval,  the  general  plan  of  the  town,  the  details 
of  habitations  and  public  monuments  had  been  stopped. 

"  This  was  not  from  want  of  materials ;  from  the  very 
first,  American  industry  had  hastened  to  load  the  quays 
of  Frankville  with  every  imaginable  requisite  for  building. 
It  was  merely  the  difficulty  of  choice.  The  founders  at  last 
decided  that  the  freestone  should  be  reserved  for  national 
edifices  and  general  ornamenation,  and  that  all  houses 
should  be  built  of  brick.  Not,  it  must  be  understood,  of 
common  roughly-moulded,  half-baked  bricks,  but  light, 
well-shaped  ones,  regular  in  size,  weight,  and  density, 
and  pierced  from  end  to  end  with  a  series  of  cylindrical 

L  2 


148  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

and  parallel  holes.  These  bricks,  when  placed  together, 
allowed  the  air  to  circulate  freely  throughout  the  walls  of 
the  building.1  This  arrangement  had  at  the  same  time 
the  valuable  effect  of  deadening  sounds,  and  giving 
complete  independence  to  each  apartment. 

"  The  committee  did  not  wish  to  impose  a  model  on  the 
builders.  They  were  averse  to  a  wearisome  and  insipid 
uniformity,  and  merely  gave  a  certain  number  of  fixed 
rules,  to  which  the  architects  were  bound  to  adhere. 

"  1st. — Each  house  to  stand  alone  in  a  plot  of  ground 
planted  with  trees,  grass,  and  flowers,  and  to  be  inhabited 
by  a  single  family. 

"  2nd. — No  house  to  be  more  than  two  stories  high  :  air 
and  light  must  not  be  monopolised  by  some,  to  the  detri 
ment  of  others. 

"  3rd. — Every  house  must  be  set  back  ten  yards  from  the 
road,  and  divided  from  it  by  a  breast-high  railing.  The 
space  between  the  building  and  the  railing  must  be  laid 
out  as  a  garden. 

"4th. — The  walls  to  be  built  of  the  patent  tubular 
bricks,  similar  to  the  model.  All  ornamentation  to  be  left 
to  the  taste  of  the  architect. 

"  c;th. — The  roofs  to  be  in  terraces,  slightly  inclined  from 
the  four  sides,  covered  with  bitumen,  surrounded  by  a 

1  These  plans,  as  well  as  the  general  idea,  are  borrowed  from  Doctor 
Benjamin  Ward  Richardson,  Member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London. 


AN  ARTICLE  FROM   'UNSERE  CENTURIE.'  149 

balustrade  high  enough  to  render  accidents  impossible, 
and  proper  canals  made  for  the  passing  off  of  rain-water. 

«  6th. — All  the  houses  must  be  built  on  a  vaulted  foun 
dation,  open  on  each  side,  and  thus  forming  under  the 
ground-floor  a  subsoil  of  aeration,  as  well  as  a  hall.  All 
water-pipes  must  be  exposed,  running  up  the  central  pillar, 
in  such  a  way  that  it  may  be  always  easy  to  ascertain  their 
state,  and  in  case  of  fire,  to  be  able  to  obtain  the  necessary 
water  immediately.  The  floor  of  this  hall,  rising  about 
three  inches  above  the  level  of  the  road,  must  be  properly 
gravelled.  A  door  and  a  special  staircase  will  place  it  in 
direct  communication  with  the  kitchens  and  offices,  so  that 
all  household  transactions  may  go  on  without  offending 
either  the  eyes  or  the  nose. 

"  /th. — The  kitchens  and  offices  will,  contrary  to  the  usual 
custom,  be  placed  in  the  upper  story,  and  in  communication 
with  the  terrace.  A  lift,  moved  by  mechanical  force, 
which,  like  artificial  light  and  water,  will  be  supplied  at 
reduced  prices  to  the  inhabitants,  will  easily  convey  all 
loads  to  this  level. 

"  8th. — The  plan  of  the  rooms  is  left  to  individual  taste. 
But  two  dangerous  elements  of  illness,  regular  nests  of 
miasma  and  laboratories  of  poison,  are  to  be  strictly  ex 
cluded — carpets  and  painted  papers.  The  floors,  beauti 
fully  inlaid  with  valuable  woods  by  clever  workmen,  would 
be  quite  wasted  were  they  hidden  under  a  woollen  cloth  of 


150  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

doubtful  cleanliness.  The  walls,  lined  with  polished 
bricks,  present  the  brilliancy  and  variety  of  the  inner  apart 
ments  of  Pompeii,  with  a  luxury  of  colour,  which  painted 
paper,  charged  with  its  thousand  subtile  poisons,  could 
never  reach.  They  are  washed  as  windows  are  washed, 
and  rubbed  like  ceilings  and  floors.  Not  even  a  gerrn  of 
anything  harmful  can  be  harboured  there. 

"  9th. — Each  bedroom  is  distinct  from  the  dressing-room. 
It  cannot  be  too  much  recommended  that  the  former 
apartment,  where  a  third  of  a  man's  life  is  passed,  should 
be  the  largest,  the  most  airy,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
most  simple.  It  must  only  be  used  for  sleep ;  four  chairs, 
an  iron  bedstead,  supplied  with  two  frequently-beaten 
mattresses,  is  the  only  necessary  furniture.  Eider-down 
quilts  and  heavy  coverlets,  powerful  allies  of  epidemics, 
are  excluded  as  a  matter  of  course.  Good  woollen  cover 
ings,  light  and  warm,  and  easily  washed,  replace  them 
well.  Though  curtains  and  draperies  are  not  absolutely 
forbidden,  it  is  recommended  that,  if  used,  they  should  be 
made  of  washing  materials. 

"  loth. — Each  room  may  be  warmed  according  to  fancy 
by  wood  or  coal ;  but  to  every  chimney  is  a  corresponding 
opening  to  the  outer  air.  The  smoke,  instead  of  issuing 
through  the  roof,  is  led  away  by  subterranean  pipes  to 
special  furnaces,  established,  outside  the  town,  at  the  back 
of  the  houses,  at  the  rate  of  a  furnace  to  every  two 


AN  ARTICLE  FROM   '  UNSERE  CENTURIE.'  151 


hundred  inhabitants.  There  it  is  deprived  of  the  particles 
of  carbon  which  it  bears,  and  is  discharged  in  a  colourless 
state  into  the  air,  at  a  height  of  thirty-five  yards.  Such 
are  the  ten  rules  imposed  on  the  building  of  each  parti 
cular  house. 

"  The  general  arrangements  are  no  less  carefully  studied. 

"  The  plan  of  the  town  is  essentially  simple  and  regular, 
the  roads  crossing  at  right  angles,  at  equal  distances,  of  a 
uniform  width,  planted  with  trees,  and  numbered. 

"  Some  of  the  roads  being  wider,  are  then  called  boule 
vards  or  avenues,  and  leave  on  one  side  rails  for  tramways 
and  metropolitan  railways.  Public  gardens  are  numerous, 
and  ornamented  with  fine  copies  of  the  masterpieces  of 
sculpture,  until  the  artists  of  Frankville  shall  have  pro 
duced  original  pieces  worthy  to  replace  them. 

"  Every  industry  and  trade  is  free. 

"  Any  one  wishing  to  have  the  right  of  living  in  Frank 
ville  must  give  good  references,  be  fit  to  follow  a  useful 
or  liberal  profession  in  industry,  science,  or  the  arts,  and 
must  engage  to  keep  the  laws  of  the  town.  An  idle  life 
would  not  be  tolerated  there. 

"There  are  already  a  large  number  of  public  edifices. 
The  most  important  are  the  Cathedral,  chapels,  mu 
seums,  libraries,  schools,  and  gymnasiums,  fitted  up  with 
the  luxury  and  hygienic  skill  worthy  of  a  great  city. 

"  It  is  needless  to  say  that  from  the  age  of  four  years  all 


152  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

children  are  obliged  to  follow  physical  and  intellectual 
exercises,  calculated  to  develope  the  brain  and  muscles. 
They  are  also  accustomed  to  such  strict  cleanliness,  that 
they  consider  a  spot  on  their  simple  clothes  quite  a 
disgrace. 

"  Individual  and  collective  cleanliness  is  the  great  idea  of 
the  founders  of  Frankville.  To  clean,  clean  unceasingly, 
so  as  to  destroy  the  miasmas  constantly  emanating  from 
a  large  community,  such  is  the  principal  work  of  the 
central  government.  For  this  purpose,  all  the  contents  of 
the  drains  are  led  out  of  the  town,  condensed,  and  daily 
transferred  to  the  fields. 

"  Water  flows  everywhere  in  abundance. 

"  The  streets  are  paved  with  bituminated  wood  ;  and  the 
stone  footpaths  are  as  spotless  as  a  courtyard  in  Holland. 
The  provision  markets  are  subject  to  strict  surveillance, 
and  any  merchants  who  dare  to  speculate  on  the  public 
health  incur  the  severest  penalties.  The  man  who  sells  a 
bad  egg,  damaged  meat,  or  a  pint  of  adulterated  milk,  is 
simply  treated  as  the  poisoner  he  really  is.  This  necessary 
and  delicate  office  is  confided  to  experienced  men,  who 
receive  a  special  education  for  it.  Their  jurisdiction 
extends  to  the  very  laundries,  which  are  on  a  large  scale, 
provided  with  steam  engines,  artificial  dryers,  and,  above 
all,  with  disinfecting-rooms.  No  body-linen  is  sent  back 
to  its  owners  without  being  thoroughly  bleached,  and 


AN  ARTICLE  FROM   '  UNSERE  CENTURIE.'  153 

special  care  is  taken  never  to  mix  the  washing  of  two 
families.  This  simple  precaution  is  of  great  value. 
Hospitals  are  few  in  number,  for  the  system  of  house 
nursing  is  general,  and  they  are  reserved  for  homeless 
strangers  and  exceptional  cases.  The  idea  of  making  the 
hospital  larger  than  any  other  building,  and  of  putting 
seven  or  eight  hundred  patients  under  one  roof,  so  as  to 
make  a  centre  of  infection,  would  not  enter  the  head  of  the 
founders  of  this  model  city.  Far  from  this,  it  is  in  theirs, 
as  well  as  in  the  public  interest,  to  isolate  the  sick  as  much 
as  possible.  This  is  the  plan  pursued  in  the  houses,  the 
hospitals  being  merely  for  the  temporary  accommodation 
of  the  most  pressing  cases. 

"Twenty  or  thirty  patients  at  most,  each  having  a 
separate  apartment,  are  put  into  these  light  barracks, 
which  are  built  of  fir-wood,  and  burnt  regularly  every  year. 
They  have,  besides,  the  advantage  of  being  easily  carried 
from  one  part  of  the  town  to  another  as  they  are  wanted, 
and,  being  all  on  one  model,  can  be  multiplied  to  any 
extent. 

"Another  ingenious  institution  is  that  of  a  body  of 
experienced  nurses,  specially  trained  for  the  purpose,  and 
always  at  the  disposal  of  the  public.  These  women,  being 
carefully  chosen,  are  most  valuable  and  devoted  aids  to  the 
doctors.  They  bring  into  the  bosom  of  families  that 
practical  knowledge,  so  necessary  and  yet  so  often  absent ; 


154  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

in  the  time  of  danger  it  is  their  mission  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease  as  well  as  to  tend  the  sick. 

"  We  should  never  finish  were  we  to  attempt  to  enumerate 
all  the  hygienic  perfections  inaugurated  by  the  founders 
of  this  new  town.  On  his  arrival  each  citizen  is  presented 
with  a  small  pamphlet,  in  which  the  most  important 
principles  of  a  life,  regulated  according  to  science,  are  set 
forth  in  clear  and  simple  language. 

"  He  is  there  told  that  the  perfect  equilibrium  of  all  the 
functions  is  one  of  the  necessities  for  health,  that  work  and 
rest  are  equally  indispensable,  that  fatigue  is  as  necessary 
for  the  brain  as  for  the  muscles  ;  that  nine-tenths  of  the 
illnesses  are  owing  to  contagion  transmitted  by  air  and  food. 
He  cannot  surround  his  dwelling  and  his  person  with  too 
many  sanitary  precautions.  To  avoid  the  use  of  exciting 
poisons,  to  practise  bodily  exercises,  to  conscientiously 
perform  every  day  some  appointed  duty,  to  drink  pure 
water,  to  eat  fresh  meat  and  vegetables  simply  prepared, 
to  sleep  regularly  seven  or  eight  hours  a  night,  such  is  the 
A  B  C  of  health. 

"Beginning  from  the  first  principles  laid  down  by  the 
founders,  we  have  been  led  on  to  speak  of  this  singular 
city  as  already  finished.  It  is  indeed  so  ;  the  first  houses 
built,  the  others  rose  as  if  by  magic.  A  man  should  have 
previously  visited  the  far  west  in  order  to  realise  the 
wonderful  change.  The  site  that  was  a  desert  in  the 


AN   ARTICLE  FROM   '  UNSERE  CENTURIE.'  155 

month  of  January  1872,  contained  six  thousand  houses  in 
1873.  In  1874  it  possessed  nine  thousand,  and  all  public 
edifices  complete. 

"  Speculation  has  certainly  had  its  part  in  this  unheard-of 
success.  The  ground  having  cost  nothing,  the  houses 
could  be  sold  or  let  at  very  moderate  prices.  There  being 
no  taxes,  the  political  independence  of  this  isolated  little 
territory,  its  novelty,  and  the  pleasant  climate,  all  con 
tributed  to  induce  emigration.  At  the  present  time 
Frankville  contains  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 

"But  to  us  the  most  interesting  part  of  it  is  that  the 
result  of  the  sanitary  experiment  is  conclusive. 

"  Whilst  the  annual  mortality  in  the  most  favoured  towns 
of  Europe  or  the  New  World  has  never  been  less  than 
three  per  cent,  in  Frankville  for  these  five  years  the 
average  has  been  one  and  a  half.  Even  this  figure  was 
increased  by  a  slight  fever  epidemic  during  the  first 
summer.  That  of  the  last  year  was  only  one  and  a 
quarter.  And  a  more  important  circumstance  still,  is  that, 
with  but  a  few  exceptions,  all  the  deaths  actually  registered 
were  due  to  specific  and  hereditary  affections.  Accidental 
illnesses  have  been  at  once  infinitely  rarer,  and  less 
dangerous,  than  in  any  other  great  centre.  As  to  epi 
demics,  properly  so  called,  nothing  has  been  seen  or  heard 
of  them. 

"  It  will  be  interesting  to  follow  the  development  of  this 


156  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

attempt,  and  certainly  curious  to  discover  if  the  influence 
of  this  scientific  regime  may  not  in  the  course  of  a  genera 
tion,  or  more  likely  still,  after  several  generations,  weaken 
hereditary  and  morbid  predispositions. 

" '  It  is  assuredly  not  too  much  to  hope/  as  one  of  the 
founders  has  written,  '  and  if  so  what  may  not  be  the 
grandeur  of  the  result !  Everybody  living  for  ninety  or  a 
hundred  years,  and  then  only  dying  of  old  age,  as  do  the 
greater  number  of  animals  and  plants.' 

"  There  is  something  enchanting  in  such  a  dream ! 
Nevertheless,  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  express  our  sincere 
opinion,  we  have  but  an  indifferent  belief  in  the  actual 
success  of  this  experiment.  We  see  in  it  an  original  and 
probably  fatal  flaw,  which  is  its  being  in  the  hands  of  a 
committee  in  which  the  Latin  element  prevails,  and  from 
which  the  German  element  has  been  systematically 
excluded.  That  is  a  bad  symptom.  Since  the  world  began 
nothing  durable  has  been  made  but  by  Germany,  and 
without  her  nothing  perfect  can  be  effected.  The  founders 
of  Frankville  may  clear  the  ground,  and  elucidate  some 
special  points  ;  not,  however,  on  this  spot  in  America,  but 
on  the  borders  of  Syria,  shall  we  one  day  see  the  true 
model  city  arise." 


AT   DINNER   WITH   DOCTOR   SARRASIN.  157 


CHAPTER  XL 

AT  DINNER  WITH   DOCTOR   SARRASIN. 

ON  the  1 3th  of  September,  although  it  wanted  but  a 
few  hours  to  the  time  fixed  on  by  Professor  Schultz  for 
the  destruction  of  Frankville,  neither  the  governor  nor 
a  single  person  among  the  inhabitants  dreamed  of  the 
danger  which  threatened  them. 

Seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  arrived. 

Half  buried  in  thick  masses  of  oleander  and  tamarinds, 
the  beautiful  city  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  Cascade  Mountains, 
its  marble  quays  gently  caressed  by  the  waves  of  the 
Pacific.  The  carefully  watered  roads,  freshened  by  the 
breeze,  presented  a  cheerful  and  animated  spectacle.  The 
trees  which  shaded  them  rustled  softly.  The  velvet  lawns 
were  fresh  and  green.  Brilliant  beds  of  flowers  exhaled 
their  sweetness  around  the  calm  and  smiling  white  houses. 
The  air  was  warm  and  balmy,  and  the  sky  as  blue  as  the 
sea,  which  glittered  at  the  end  of  the  long  avenues. 


158  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

A  stranger  arriving  in  the  town  would  have  been  at  once 
struck  with  the  healthful  look  of  the  inhabitants  and  the 
activity  in  the  streets.  The  academies  of  painting,  music, 
and  sculpture,  and  the  library,  all  in  the  same  quarter,  had 
just  been  closed.  Excellent  public  courses  were  given 
there  to  small  sections,  so  that  each  pupil  might  get  the 
full  advantage  of  the  lesson.  Among  the  crowds  issuing 
from  these  places,  and  naturally  causing  some  stoppage, 
not  an  exclamation  of  impatience,  nor  an  angry  look,  was 
heard  or  seen.  The  general  aspect  was  one  of  calmness 
and  satisfaction. 

Not  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  but  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  had  Doctor  Sarrasin  built  his  house.  It  had  been 
among  the  first  put  up,  and  he  had  come  immediately  and 
established  himself  there  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
Jeannette. 

Octavius,  the  extempore  millionaire,  had  chosen  to 
remain  in  Paris  ;  but  he  had  no  longer  Max  for  a  mentor. 

The  two  friends  had  almost  lost  sight  of  each  other 
since  the  time  when  they  lived  together  in  King  of  Sicily 
Street. 

When  the  doctor  emigrated  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
to  the  coast  of  Oregon,  Otto  was  his  own  master.  He  soon 
neglected  college,  where  his  father  had  wished  him  to 
continue  his  studies,  and  was  in  consequence  plucked  in 
the  final  examination,  when  his  friend  Max  came  out  first. 


AT  DINNER   WITH   DOCTOR   SARRASIN.  159 

Till  then,  poor  Otto,  who  was  incapable  of  managing  for 
himself,  had  had  Max  for  a  guide.  When  the  young 
Alsacian  left,  his  companion  directly  began  to  see  life  in 
Paris.  He  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  time  on  the  box 
of  a  four-in-hand  coach,  driving  perpetually  between  the 
avenue  Marigny,  where  he  had  rooms,  and  the  various 
race-courses  of  the  suburbs. 

Otto  Sarrasin,  who,  three  months  before,  could  scarcely 
manage  to  stick  on  a  horse  hired  by  the  hour,  had  suddenly 
become  deeply  versed  in  the  mysteries  of  hippology.  His 
erudition  was  borrowed  from  an  English  groom  who  had 
entered  his  service,  and  who  ruled  him  entirely,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  superiority  of  his  special  knowledge. 

Interviews  with  tailors,  saddlers,  and  bootmakers,  occu 
pied  the  mornings.  His  evenings  were  spent  at  the 
theatres  and  in  the  rooms  of  a  flaming  new  club,  just 
opened  at  the  corner  of  Trouchet  Street,  and  chosen  by 
Otto  because  the  people  he  met  there  paid  to  his  money  a 
homage  which  his  personal  merits  had  not  hitherto  received. 

The  company  seemed  to  him  highly  distinguished.  A 
noticeable  thing  about  it  was  that  the  handsomely  framed 
list,  hanging  in  the  waiting-room,  bore  few  but  foreign 
names.  Titles  abounded,  so  that  you  might  almost  fancy 
yourself  in  the  antechamber  of  an  heraldic  college.  But 
on  penetrating  farther  one  might  imagine  oneself  in  a  living 
ethnological  exhibition.  All  the  big  noses  and  bilious 


160  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

complexions  of  the  two  hemispheres  seemed  to  have  met 
together  there. 

Otto  Sarrasin  reigned  paramount  among  these  worthies. 
His  words  were  quoted,  his  cravats  copied,  his  opinions 
accepted  as  articles  of  faith.  And  intoxicated  with  this 
incense  of  flattery,  he  never  found  out  that  he  regularly  lost 
money  at  play  and  the  races.  Perhaps  certain  members  of 
the  club,  in  their  Oriental  capacity,  thought  that  they  had 
some  rights  on  the  Begum's  heritage.  At  any  rate,  they 
were  able  to  gradually  draw  it  into  their  pockets  by  a  slow 
though  continued  process. 

In  this  new  life  the  ties  which  bound  Otto  to  Max 
Bruckmann  were  soon  loosened.  At  last,  the  two  chums 
only  exchanged  letters  at  long  intervals.  What  could 
there  be  in  common  between  the  eager  hard-working  man, 
solely  occupied  with  bringing  his  intellect  to  the  highest 
point  of  culture  and  strength,  and  the  idle  youth,  puffed 
up  with  his  riches,  his  thoughts  only  filled  with  club  and 
stable  gossip. 

We  know  how  Max  left  Paris,  first  to  keep  a  watch  on 
Herr  Schultz,  who  had  just  founded  Stahlstadt,  the  rival 
to  Frankville,  and  then  actually  to  enter  the  service  of  the 
King  of  Steel. 

For  two  years  Otto  led  his  useless  and  dissipated  life. 
Then  a  weariness  of  these  hollow  and  worthless  pleasures 
seized  him,  and  one  fine  day,  after  having  wasted  some 


AT  DINNER  WITH    DOCTOR   SARRASIN.  l6l 

millions  of  francs,  he  rejoined  his  father,  thus  escaping 
from  moral  and  physical  ruin.  At  the  present  time  he 
was  living  in  the  doctor's  house  in  Frankville. 

His  sister  Jeannette  was  now  a  lovely  girl  of  nineteen, 
to  whose  French  grace  her  four  years'  stay  in  the  new 
country  had  added  all  the  good  American  qualities.  Her 
mother  said  sometimes  that  before  having  her  so  com 
pletely  to  herself,  she  had  never  felt  the  charm  of 
perfect  intimacy. 

As  to  Madame  Sarrasin,  since  the  return  of  her  prodigal 
son,  the  child  of  her  hopes,  she  was  as  completely  happy 
as  any  one  can  be  here  below,  for  she  associated  herself 
with  all  the  good  her  husband  could  and  did  do  with  his 
immense  fortune. 

On  the  evening  of  which  we  have  spoken,  Doctor 
Sarrasin  had  invited  to  dinner  two  of  his  most  intimate 
friends.  Colonel  Hendon,  an  old  hero  of  the  War  of 
Secession,  who  had  left  an  arm  at  Pittsburg,  and  an  ear  at 
Sevenoaks,  but  who  could  hold  his  own  with  any  one  at  a 
game  of  chess ;  and  Monsieur  Lentz,  General  Director  of 
Instruction  in  the  new  city. 

The  conversation  turned  on  the  plans  for  the  administra 
tion  of  the  town,  the  results  already  obtained  in  the  public 
establishments  of  all  sorts,  institutions,  hospitals,  mutual 
aid  societies. 

M.  Lentz,  according  to  the  doctor's  programme,  in  which 

M 


1 62  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

religious  teaching  was  not  forgotten,  had  founded  several 
elementary  schools,  where  the  cares  of  the  master  tended 
to  develope  the  mind  of  the  child  by  submitting  it  to  a 
sort  of  intellectual  gymnastic  exercise,  adjusted  so  as  to 
follow  the  natural  bent  of  its  faculties.  It  was  taught  to 
love  a  science  before  being  crammed  with  it,  avoiding  that 
knowledge  which,  says  Montaigne,  "floats  on  the  surface 
of  the  brain,"  without  penetrating  the  understanding,  or 
rendering  its  possessor  either  wiser  or  better.  Later,  a 
well-prepared  intellect  can  of  itself  choose  its  path  and 
follow  it  with  profit. 

The  principles  of  health  took  a  first  place  in  this  well- 
ordered  education. 

Man  should  have  equal  command  both  of  his  mind  and, 
body.  If  one  fails  him  he  suffers  for  it,  and  the  mind 
especially,  if  unsupported  by  the  body,  would  soon  give 
way. 

Frankville  had  now  reached  the  highest  degree  of  in 
tellectual  as  well  as  temporal  prosperity.  In  its  congress 
were  collected  all  the  illustrious  and  learned  men  of 
the  two  worlds.  Artists,  painters,  sculptors,  musicians, 
attracted  by  the  reputation  of  this  city,  crowded  to  it.  All 
the  young  people  of  Frankville,  who  promised  some  day 
to  illuminate  this  corner  of  America,  studied  under  these 
masters.  This  new  Athens  of  French  origin  was  on  the 
way  to  become  the  first  of  cities.  A  good  military  as  well 


The  dinner  at  Doctor  Sarrasin's. 


Page  163. 


AT  DINNER  WITH   DOCTOR   SARRASIN.  163 

as  civil  education  was  given  in  the  colleges.  All  the 
young  men  were  taught  the  use  of  firearms,  as  well  as 
the  first  principles  of  strategy  and  tactics. 

When  this  became  the  subject  of  conversation,  Colonel 
Hendon  declared  himself  delighted  with  all  his  recruits. 

"They  are,"  said  he,  "already  accustomed  to  forced 
marches,  fatigue,  and  all  kinds  of  manly  exercises.  Our 
army  is  composed  of  citizens,  and  when  the  time  comes  to 
prove  them,  they  will  be  found  disciplined  and  trustworthy 
soldiers." 

Frankville  was  on  the  best  terms  with  all  the  neigh 
bouring  States,  for  she  had  seized  every  occasion  to  oblige 
them  ;  but  ingratitude  speaks  so  loudly  when  people's  own 
interests  are  in  question,  that  the  doctor  and  his  friends 
resolved  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  maxim  :  "  Heaven  helps 
those  who  help  themselves,"  and  to  rely  on  their  own 
exertions. 

Dinner  was  over,  the  dessert  was  on  the  table,  and, 
according  to  the  usual  custom,  the  ladies  had  just  left  the 
room. 

Doctor  Sarrasin,  Otto,  Colonel  Hendon,  and  M.  Lentz 
continued  the  conversation,  and  were  attacking  the  higher 
questions  of  political  economy,  when  a  servant  entered  and 
handed  the  doctor  his  paper. 

It  was  the  New  York  Herald.  This  respectable  journal 
had  always  shown  itself  extremely  favourable,  first  to  the 

M  2 


164  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

foundation,  and  then  to  the  development  of  Frankville,  and 
the  principals  of  the  city  were  accustomed  to  look  in  its 
columns  for  the  possible  variations  of  public  opinion  with 
regard  to  them  in  the  United  States.  This  agglomeration 
of  happy,  free,  and  independent  people  on  their  little 
neutral  territory  was  envied  by  not  a  few,  and  if  Frankville 
had  many  friends  in  America  to  defend  her,  she  had  also 
enemies  who  delighted  in  attacking  her.  At  any  rate,  the 
New  York  Herald  was  on  their  side,  and  constantly 
expressed  itself  in  terms  of  admiration  and  esteem. 

Without  interrupting  himself  in  what  he  was  saying, 
Doctor  Sarrasin  opened  the  paper,  mechanically  casting 
his  eyes  on  the  first  paragraph.  Suddenly  he  stopped,  con 
founded,  as  he  saw  the  following  lines,  which  he  read  to 
himself,  and  then  aloud,  to  the  great  surprise  and  greater 
indignation  of  his  friends  : 

"  New  York,  September  8th. — A  violent  attempt  against 
the  rights  of  men  is  shortly  to  take  place.  We  learn  from 
a  certain  source  that  formidable  preparations  are  being 
made  at  Stahlstadt,  with  the  object  of  attacking  and 
destroying  Frankville,  the  city  of  French  origin.  We  do 
not  know  if  the  United  States  can  or  ought  to  interfere  in 
this  struggle,  which  will  set  the  Latin  and  Saxon  races  by 
the  ears  ;  but,  in  common  with  all  honest  men,  we  denounce 
this  odious  abuse  of  strength.  Frankville  should  not  lose 
an  hour  in  putting  herself  in  a  state  of  defence,  &c." 


THE   COUNCIL.  165 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   COUNCIL. 

THE  hatred  which  the  King  of  Steel  bore  to  Doctor 
Sarrasin's  work  was  no  secret.  Every  one  knew  that  his 
was  a  rival  city.  But  no  one  would  have  believed  him 
capable  of  attacking  a  peaceful  town,  and  endeavouring  to 
destroy  it  at  a  blow.  The  article  in  the  New  York  Herald 
was,  however,  positive  on  the  point.  The  correspondents 
of  that  provincial  journal  had  penetrated  Herr  Schultz's 
designs,  and,  as  they  said,  there  was  not  an  hour  to 
spare  ! 

The  worthy  doctor  was  confounded.  Like  all  honest- 
hearted  men,  he  refused  as  long  as  he  could  to  believe 
in  the  evil  designs  of  others.  It  seemed  to  him  impos 
sible  that  a  human  being  could  be  so  wicked  as  to  wish 
to  destroy  without  sufficient  reason,  and  from  simple 
malice,  a  city,  which  was  in  a  certain  sense  the  common 
property  of  mankind. 


1 66  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"Just  think  that  our  average  mortality  will  this  year  be 
only  one  and  a  quarter  in  every  hundred  ! "  he  exclaimed, 
naively  ;  "  that  there  is  not  a  boy  of  ten  years  old  who 
does  not  know  how  to  read  ;  that  not  a  murder  or  theft  has 
been  committed  since  the  foundation  of  Frankville !  And 
these  barbarians  want  to  destroy  this  successful  experi 
ment  at  its  very  beginning  !  No  ;  I  cannot  believe  that  a 
chemist,  a  savant,  were  he  a  hundred  times  a  German, 
could  be  capable  of  such  atrocity  ! " 

They  were  compelled,  however,  to  trust  to  the  evidence 
of  a  paper  thoroughly  devoted  to  their  undertaking,  and 
act  without  delay.  The  first  moment  of  dismay  passed, 
Doctor  Sarrasin  regaining  the  command  of  his  feelings, 
thus  addressed  his  friends — 

"  Gentlemen,  you  are  members  of  the  Civic  Council,  and 
it  is  your  duty  as  well  as  mine  to  take  all  necessary 
measures  for  the  safety  of  the  town.  What  ought  we  to 
do  first?" 

"Is  there  no  possibility  of  arranging  matters?"  said 
M.  Lentz.  "  Can  we  not  honourably  avoid  war  ? " 

"That  is  impossible,"  replied  Otto.  "  Herr  Schultz 
evidently  will  have  it  at  any  price.  His  hate  will  not 
allow  him  to  come  to  terms  !  " 

"  Very  well !  "  exclaimed  the  doctor  ;  "  we  shall  be 
ready  to  receive  him.  Do  you  think,  colonel,  that  any 
thing  can  resist  the  cannons  of  Stahlstadt  ? " 


THE   COUNCIL.  l6/ 

"Any  human  force  can  be  efficaciously  combatted  by 
another  human  force,"  answered  Colonel  Hendon  ;  "  but 
we  need  not  think  of  defending  ourselves  by  the  same 
means  and  the  same  arms  which  Herr  Schultz  will  use  to 
attack  us.  The  construction  of  engines  of  war,  capable  of 
opposing  his,  would  take  a  long  time  to  make,  and  I  do 
not  know,  besides,  if  we  should  succeed  in  fabricating  them, 
since  we  have  not  special  workshops.  I  can  only  see  one 
chance  of  safety,  that  of  preventing  the  enemy  from  reach 
ing  us,  and  rendering  an  investment  impossible." 

"  I  will  go  immediately  and  convoke  the  Council,"  said 
Doctor  Sarrasin  ;  and  he  led  his  guests  into  his  study. 

It  was  a  simply  furnished  room,  three  sides  being 
covered  with  shelves,  loaded  with  books,  whilst  the  fourth 
presented,  below  several  pictures  and  curiosities,  a  row  of 
numbered  openings,  similar  to  ear-trumpets. 

"Thanks  to  the  telephone,"  said  he,  "we  can  hold  a 
council  in  Frankville,  whilst  every  one  remains  at  home." 

The  doctor  touched  a  warning-bell,  which  instantaneously 
communicated  with  the  houses  of  all  the  members.  In 
less  than  three  minutes,  the  word  "present"  brought 
successively  by  each  wire,  announced  that  the  Council  was 
sitting. 

The  doctor  placed  himself  before  the  mouthpiece,  rung 
the  bell,  and  said — 

"  The  meeting  is  open.     My  honourable  friend,  Colonel 


1 68  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Hendon,  will  speak,  to  make  a  communication  of  the 
deepest  importance." 

The  colonel,  in  his  turn,  placed  himself  before  the 
telephone,  and,  after  reading  the  article  from  the  New 
York  Herald,  he  proposed  that  immediate  measures 
should  be  taken  to  impede  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 

He  had  scarcely  concluded  when  number  Six  put  the 
question — 

"  Does  the  colonel  believe  a  defence  possible,  in  case 
the  means  by  which  he  hopes  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
reaching  us  does  not  succeed  ? " 

Colonel  Hendon  replied  in  the  affirmative.  The  ques 
tion  and  answer  instantaneously  reached  each  invisible 
member  of  the  Council,  as  well  as  the  explanations  which 
preceded  them. 

Number  Seven  asked  how  long  in  his  estimation  it 
would  take  for  the  people  of  Frankville  to  prepare. 

The  colonel  could  not  say,  but  it  would  be  advisable  to 
act  as  if  they  were  to  be  attacked  in  a  fortnight. 

Number  Two  :  "  Should  we  await  the  attack,  or  would 
you  think  it  preferable  to  prevent  it  ? " 

"  We  must  do  all  in  our  power  to  prevent  it,"  answered 
the  colonel ;  "  and  if  we  are  threatened  with  a  fleet,  we 
must  blow  up  Herr  Schultz's  ships  with  torpedoes." 

On  this,  Doctor  Sarrasin  offered  to  call  into  council  the 
most  distinguished  chemists,  as  well  as  the  most  experi- 


An  important  meeting  to  be  held. 


Page  169. 


THE  COUNCIL.  169 


enced  artillery  officers,  and  give  to  them  the  task  of 
examining  the  plans  which  Colonel  Hendon  had  ready  to 
submit  to  them. 

Question  from  Number  One — 

"What  is  the  sum  necessary  for  the  immediate  com 
mencement  of  the  works  of  defence  ? " 

"  We  should  have  at  our  disposal  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
millions  of  dollars." 

"  I  propose  that  the  Citizens'  Assembly  be  instantly 
convoked." 

President  Sarrasin  :  "  I  will  put  it  to  the  vote." 

The  bells  in  each  telephone  rang  twice,  announcing  that 
the  proposal  was  unanimously  adopted. 

It  was  half-past  eight.  The  Council  had  only  lasted 
eighteen  minutes,  and  had  not  disturbed  any  one. 

The  popular  assembly  was  convoked  by  means  as  simple, 
and  almost  as  expeditious.  Doctor  Sarrasin  communi 
cated  by  telephone  the  vote  of  the  Council  to  the  Town 
Hall.  An  electric  peal  was  instantly  set  in  motion  at  the 
summit  of  each  of  the  columns  in  every  square  of  the  city. 
The  columns  were  surmounted  by  luminous  dial  plates,  on 
which  the  hands,  moved  by  electricity,  pointed  to  half-past 
eight,  the  hour  for  the  assembly. 

This  clamorous  call,  continuing  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
brought  all  the  inhabitants  out  of  their  houses,  they 
glanced  up  at  the  nearest  dial,  and  ascertaining  that  some 


1 70  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

national  duty  required  their  presence  at  the  Town  Hall, 
they  hastened  thither  as  fast  as  possible. 

In  less  than  forty-five  minutes  the  Assembly  was  complete. 
Doctor  Sarrasin  was  already  in  the  place  of  honour,  sur 
rounded  by  the  Council,  whilst  Colonel  Hendon  waited  at  the 
foot  of  the  tribune,  until  permission  was  given  him  to  speak. 

The  greater  number  of  the  citizens  already  knew  the 
reason  of  the  meeting  being  called.  In  fact,  the  discussion 
of  the  Civic  Council,  automatically,  stereographed  by  the 
Town  Hall  telephone,  had  been  immediately  sent  to  the 
papers,  printed  in  a  special  edition,  and  placarded  all  over 
the  town. 

The  municipal  hall  was  an  immense  building,  roofed 
with  glass,  and  brilliantly  lighted  by  gas. 

The  crowd  which  filled  it  was  calm  and  orderly,  every 
one  standing.  All  the  faces  were  cheerful.  Perfect  health, 
an  active  and  regular  life,  and  a  quiet  conscience,  placed 
them  above  any  unruly  passion  of  alarm  or  anger. 

At  exactly  half-past  eight,  the  president  rang  his  bell, 
and  silence  fell  on  the  assembly. 

The  colonel  ascended  the  tribune.  There,  in  sober,  but 
forcible  language,  without  useless  ornament  or  oratorical 
pretensions — the  language  of  a  man,  who,  knowing  what 
he  is  talking  about,  clearly  expresses  himself — Colonel 
Hendon  related  the  inveterate  hate  which  Herr  Schultz 
bore  against  Frankville,  Doctor  Sarrasin,  and  his  work, 


THE   COUNCIL.  I/I 


and  the  formidable  preparations  announced  by  the  New 
York  Herald,  destined  to  destroy  their  city  and  its 
inhabitants. 

"  It  is  for  you  to  decide  what  is  best  to  be  done,"  he 
continued.  "  Some  people,  possessing  neither  courage  nor 
patriotism,  might  perhaps  prefer  to  give  up  the  land,  and 
leave  the  aggressors  to  do  what  they  wish  with  their  new 
home.  But  I  am  certain  beforehand  that  such  a  pusil 
lanimous  proposal  would  find  no  echo  among  my  fellow- 
citizens.  Men  who  are  able  to  understand  the  greatness  of 
the  object  aimed  at  by  the  founders  of  the  model  city, 
men  who  have  accepted  its  laws,  are  necessarily  men  of 
heart  and  intelligence.  Sincere  representatives  of  pro 
gress,  you  will  do  everything  to  save  our  incomparable 
town,  the  glorious  monument  raised  by  science,  to 
ameliorate  the  fallen  condition  of  man  !  Your  duty,  there 
fore,  is  to  give  your  lives  for  the  cause  you  represent." 

Thunders  of  applause  greeted  this  peroration.  Several 
speakers  supported  Colonel  Hendon's  motion. 

Doctor  Sarrasin,  having  impressed  the  necessity  of  con 
stituting  a  Committee  of  Defence,  which  was  to  take  imme 
diate  measures,  with  all  the  secrecy  indispensable  in 
military  operations,  the  proposal  was  adopted. 

A  member  of  the  Civic  Council  then  suggested  that  five 
million  dollars  should  be  voted  for  the  works.  A  show  of 
hands  ratified  this  measure. 


172  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

At  five-and-twenty  minutes  past  ten  the  meeting  was 
over,  and  the  citizens  of  Frankville  were  about  to  leave  the 
hall,  when  an  unexpected  incident  occurred.  The  empty 
tribune  was  suddenly  occupied  by  a  stranger  of  most 
curious  appearance.  He  had  sprung  up  as  if  by  magic. 
His  face  showed  that  he  was  labouring  under  frightful 
•excitement ;  but  his  attitude  was  calm  and  resolute.  His 
torn  and  muddy  clothes,  his  bleeding  forehead,  told  of 
something  extraordinary. 

At  sight  of  him  every  one  paused.  With  an  imperative 
-gesture,  the  stranger  commanded  silence. 

Who  was  he  ?  Whence  had  he  come  ?  No  one,  not 
even  Doctor  Sarrasin,  ventured  to  ask  him. 

"  I  have  just  escaped  from  Stahlstadt,"  he  said. 
"  Herr  Schultz  had  condemned  me  to  death.  God  has 
-allowed  me  to  reach  you  in  time  to  attempt  to  save 
you.  I  am  not  unknown  to  you  all.  My  venerated 
master,  Doctor  Sarrasin,  can  tell  you,  I  hope,  that  in 
spite  of  my  appearance,  rendering  me  unrecognisable 
even  to  him,  some  confidence  may  be  placed  in  Max 
Bruckmann ! " 

"  Max ! "  exclaimed  both  the  doctor  and  Otto  at  once, 
starting  towards  him. 

He  stopped  them  by  a  sign. 

Max  had  been,  indeed,  miraculously  saved.  After 
forcing  the  grating,  just  as  he  was  almost  suffocated,  the 


No  time  to  be  lost. 


Page  172. 


THE  COUNCIL.  173: 


current  swept  him  onwards,  and  two  minutes  later  threw 
him  on  the  bank,  outside  Stahlstadt,  indeed,  but  almost 
lifeless. 

For  several  hours  the  brave  young  fellow  lay  stretched 
motionless  in  the  darkness,  far  from  all  help,  on  the 
lonely  desert.  When  consciousness  returned,  it  was  day 
light.  He  thanked  God  that  he  had  escaped  from  that 
horrible  Stahlstadt !  He  was  no  longer  a  prisoner. 
The  next  moment  his  thoughts  were  concentrated  on 
Doctor  Sarrasin,  his  friends,  and  fellow  citizens. 

"  I  must  save  them  !  "  he  repeated. 

By  a  supreme  effort  he  got  upon  his  feet.  He  was 
thirty  miles  from  Frankville,  and  he  had  thirty  miles  to 
traverse  on  foot,  for  there  was  no  railway  in  that  direction, 
not  even  a  cart  or  a  horse  to  be  got,  for  the  whole  country 
round  the  terrible  Steel  City  was  shunned.  He  pressed 
on,  however,  without  taking  a  moment's  rest,  and  at  a 
quarter-past  ten  arrived  at  the  city. 

The  placards  which  covered  the  walls  told  him  all.  He 
found  that  the  inhabitants  had  been  warned  of  the 
threatened  danger ;  but  they  were  not  aware  of  its  frightful 
nature,  or  that  it  was  immediate. 

The  catastrophe  premeditated  by  Herr  Schultz,  was  to 
take  place  on  this  very  evening,  at  a  quarter  to  twelve. 
It  was  now  a  quarter-past  ten. 

Max  had  not  a  moment  to  lose,  he  sped  through  the 


174  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

town,  and  at  twenty-five  minutes  past  ten,  as  the  assembly 
was  about  to  break  up,  he  scaled  the  tribune. 

"  Not  in  a  month,  my  friends,"  he  cried,  "  not  even  in  a 
week,  must  you  expect  the  danger !  But  in  an  hour,  this 
awful  catastrophe,  a  rain  of  iron  and  fire,  will  burst  upon 
your  town.  An  engine,  worthy  the  invention  of  a  fiend, 
which  will  carry  thirty  miles,  is  at  this  very  moment 
pointed  against  us.  I  have  seen  it.  Let  the  women  and 
children  seek  shelter  in  the  deepest  and  strongest  cellars, 
or  let  them  instantly  leave  the  town,  and  take  refuge  in  the 
mountains.  All  the  men  must  prepare  to  combat  the  fire 
by  every  possible  means.  Fire  will  for  the  time  be  your 
only  enemy.  Neither  armies  nor  soldiers  will  march 
against  you.  The  adversary  who  menaces  you  disdains  all 
ordinary  modes  of  attack.  If  the  plans  and  calculations 
of  a  man,  whose  power  for  evil  is  well  known  to  you,  are 
realised — unless  Herr  Schultz  is  mistaken  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life — fire  will  suddenly  break  out  in  at  least  a  hundred 
places  all  over  Frankville.  We  shall  presently  have  to 
face  the  flames  at  a  hundred  different  points !  Whatever 
happens,  the  population  must  be  saved  first ;  such  of  your 
houses  and  monuments  which  cannot  be  preserved,  or  even 
the  whole  town,  time  and  money  can  restore  ! " 

In  Europe,  Max  would  have  been  thought  mad.  But 
in  America  it  is  not  wise  to  refuse  to  believe  in  any 
miracle  of  science,  however  unexpected  ;  so,  by  Doctor 


THE  COUNCIL.  175 


Sarrasin's  advice,  the  young  engineer  was  listened  to  and 
believed  in. 

The  crowd,  awed  as  much  by  the  accent  and  appearance 
of  the  speaker  as  by  his  words,  obeyed,  without  even 
dreaming  of  disputing  his  commands.  The  doctor  an 
swered  for  Max  Bruckmann,  and  that  was  enough. 

Orders  were  immediately  given,  and  messengers  sent 
out  in  every  direction. 

As  to  the  inhabitants,  some  withdrew  to  the  cellars  of 
their  dwellings,  resigned  to  suffer  all  the  horrors  of  a 
bombardment,  others  on  foot,  horseback,  or  in  carriages, 
hastened  out  into  the  country,  and  ascended  the  steeps 
of  the  Cascade  Mountains.  In  the  meantime  the  able- 
bodied  men  collected  in  the  square,  and  in  different 
places  pointed  out  by  the  doctor,  everything  that  would 
serve  to  subdue  fire,  that  is  to  say,  water,  earth,  and 
sand. 

In  the  Hall  the  deliberation  continued. 

Max  was  evidently  beset  by  some  idea  which  filled 
his  brain  to  the  exclusion  of  every  other  thought.  He 
muttered  to  himself — 

"  At  a  quarter  to  twelve  !  Is  it  really  possible  that 
that  villainous  Schultz  will  destroy  us  with  his  execrable 
invention  ? " 

Suddenly  Max  drew  out  his  pocket-book.  He  made  a 
gesture  requiring  silence,  and  then,  pencil  in  hand,  rapidly 


176  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

put  down  several  figures  on  one  of  the  pages.  As  he  did 
so  his  brow  cleared,  his  face  became  radiant. 

"  Ah  !  my  friends  ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  my  friends  !  Either 
these  figures  are  liars,  or  else  all  that  we  fear  will  vanish 
like  a  nightmare  before  the  evidence  of  a  problem  in  the 
science  of  projectiles,  the  solution  of  which  I  have  till  this 
moment  sought  in  vain.  Herr  Schultz  is  mistaken !  The 
threatened  danger  is  but  a  dream.  For  once,  his  science  is 
at  fault !  Nothing  of  what  he  foretold  will  come  to  pass. 
It's  impossible  !  His  formidable  shell  will  fly  over  Frank- 
ville  without  touching  it,  and  if  there  is  anything  to  fear,, 
it  will  be  only  in  the  future ! " 

What  could  Max  mean  ?  His  friends  did  not  under 
stand  ! 

The  young  Alsacian  then  explained  the  result  of  his 
calculations. 

In  his  clear  ringing  voice  he  explained  his  demonstra 
tion  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  it  luminous,  even  to  the 
most  ignorant.  It  was  light  succeeding  darkness,  calm 
following  agony.  Not  only  would  the  projectile  leave 
untouched  the  doctor's  city,  but  it  would  touch  nothing 
whatever.  It  was  destined  to  lose  itself  in  space  ! 

Doctor  Sarrasin  acknowledged  the  correctness  of  Max's 
calculations,  and  then,  pointing  to  the  luminous  dial  in  the 
hall— 

"  In  three    minutes,"  he   exclaimed,   "  we    shall   know 


THE   COUNCIL.  177 


whether  Schultz  or  Max  Bruckmann  is  right !  Whatever 
happens,  my  friends,  we  need  not  regret  any  of  the  pre 
cautions  we  have  taken,  and  we  still  must  neglect  nothing 
which  can  baffle  the  inventions  of  our  enemy.  If  his 
design  fails  for  the  present,  as  Max  has  just  given  us 
reason  to  hope,  it  won't  be  the  last.  Schultz's  hate  will 
never  be  stifled  or  arrested." 

«  Come  !  "  exclaimed  Max. 

All  followed  him  into  the  square.  Three  minutes  passed 
in  breathless  suspense.  The  quarter  before  twelve  was 
tolled  forth  from  the  great  clock  ! 

Four  seconds  after,  a  dark  mass  was  seen  high  above 
their  heads  ;  quick  as  thought  it  rushed  onwards,  and  with 
a  sinister  hiss  soon  disappeared  far  beyond  the  town. 

"A  pleasant  journey  to  it ! "  shouted  Max,  with  a  burst 
of  laughter.  "  If  Herr  Schultz's  shell  keeps  up  that  speed, 
it  will  never  again  fall  upon  terrestrial  soil ! " 

In  two  minutes  a  roar  was  heard  like  distant  thunder. 
This  was  the  report  of  the  cannon  in  the  Bull  Tower,  the 
sound  reaching  Frankville  a  hundred  and  thirteen  seconds 
after  the  projectile  had  passed  at  the  rate  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  an  hour. 


N 


178  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

NEWS   FOR  THE  PROFESSOR. 
"  Max  Bruckmann,  to  Professor  Schultz,  of  Staklstadt. 

"  Frankville,  September  I4th. 

"I  CONSIDER  it  proper  to  inform  the  King  of  Steel, 
that  on  the  evening  of  the  day  before  yesterday,  I  suc 
ceeded  in  passing  beyond  the  frontier  of  his  dominion, 
preferring  my  own  safety  to  that  of  the  model  in  the 
blazing  workshop. 

"  While  taking  leave,  I  should  fail  in  my  bounden  duty 
were  I  not  in  turn  to  reveal  my  secrets.  Do  not,  however, 
be  uneasy  on  that  account,  I  shall  not  require  you  to  pay 
for  the  knowledge  with  your  life. 

"My  real  name  is  not  Schwartz,  and  I  am  not  a 
Swiss.  Alsace  is  my  country,  and  I  am  called  Max 
Bruckmann. 

"  I  am  a  tolerable  engineer,  if  one  may  take  your  word 
for  it ;  but  first  and  foremost,  I  am  a  Frenchman.  You 


NEWS  FOR  THE   PROFESSOR. 


have  shown  yourself  the  implacable  enemy  of  my  country, 
my  friends,  and  my  family.  You  have  entertained  odious 
designs  against  everything  I  hold  most  dear.  I  have 
dared,  and  done  all,  in  order  to  discover  those  designs  ;  I 
will  dare  and  do  all  to  frustrate  them. 

"  I  hasten  to  let  you  know  that  your  first  shot  has  failed 
to  take  effect. 

"  It  has  not  hit  the  mark,  for,  thank  heaven,  it  could  not. 
Your  gun  is  not  the  less  a  wonderful  one,  though  the 
projectiles  which  it  sends  forth  will  never  do  any  harm  to 
any  one  !  They  will  fall  nowhere.  I  had  a  presentiment 
of  this,  and,  to  your  great  glory,  it  is  now  an  established 
fact,  that  Herr  Schultz  has  invented  a  wonderful  cannon, 
entirely  inoffensive. 

"  You  will  hear  with  pleasure  that  we  saw  your  perfect 
shell,  at  forty-five  minutes  and  four  seconds  past  eleven, 
pass  above  our  town.  It  was  flying  towards  the  west, 
circulating  in  space,  which  it  will  continue  to  do  until  the 
end  of  time.  A  projectile,  animated  with  an  initial  speed 
twenty  times  superior  to  the  actual  speed,  being  ten 
thousand  yards  to  the  second,  can  never  fall  !  This 
movement,  combined  with  terrestrial  attraction,  destines 
it  to  revolve  perpetually  round  our  globe. 

"You  ought  to  have  been  aware  of  this 

"  I  hope  and  expect  that  the  cannon  in  the  Bull  Tower  is 
quite  spoilt  by  this  first  trial  ;  but  two  hundred  thousand 

N  2 


i8o  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

dollars  is  not  too  much  to  have  paid  for  the  pleasure  of 
having  endowed  the  planetary  world  with  a  new  star,  and 
the  earth  with  a  second  satellite. 

"MAX  BRUCKMANN." 

An  express  was  immediately  sent  from  Frankville  to 
Stahlstadt  with  this  letter ;  and  Max  must  be  forgiven  for 
not  having  been  able  to  resist  the  satisfaction  of  writing 
it  to  Herr  Schultz. 

Max  was  quite  right  when  he  said  that  the  famous  shell 
would  never  again  fall  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  also 
right  when  he  predicted  the  cannon  of  the  Bull  Tower  would 
be  rendered  useless  by  the  enormous  charge  of  pyroxilc. 

The  receipt  of  this  letter  greatly  discomfited  Herr 
Schultz,  and  was  a  terrible  shock  to  his  self-love.  As  he 
read  it,  he  turned  perfectly  livid,  and  his  head  fell  on  his 
breast  as  if  he  had  been  struck  with  a  club.  He  remained 
in  this  state  of  prostration  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  When 
he  revived  his  rage  was  frightful.  Arminius  and  Sigimer 
alone  witnessed  the  outbursts  ! 

However,  Herr  Schultz  was  not  a  man  to  acknowledge 
himself  beaten. 

Henceforth  the  struggle  between  him  and  Max  would 
continue  to  the  death.  He  still  had  other  shells  charged 
with  liquid  carbonic  acid,  which  less  powerful,  but  more 
practical  guns,  could  "throw  to  a  short  distance. 


NEWS  FOR  THE   PROFESSOR.  iSl 

Calming  himself  by  an  effort,  the  King  of  Steel 
re-entered  his  study,  and  continued  his  work. 

It  was  clear  that  Frankville,  now  more  than  ever 
menaced  with  danger,  must  neglect  nothing  by  which  it 
could  be  put  into  a  perfect  state  of  defence. 


1 82  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CLEARING  FOR  ACTION. 

ALTHOUGH  the  danger  was  no  longer  imminent,  it  was 
serious.  Max  communicated  to  Doctor  Sar/asin  and  his 
friends  all  that  he  knew  of  Herr  Schultz's  preparations, 
and  described  his  engines  of  destruction.  On  the  next 
day  the  Council  of  Defence,  in  which  he  took  a  principal 
part,  occupied  itself  with  discussing  a  plan  of  resistance, 
and  preparing  to  put  it  into  execution. 

In  all  this  Max  was  well  seconded  by  Otto,  whom  he 
found  altered  in  character,  and  much  improved. 

No  one  knew  the  details  of  the  resolutions  passed.  The 
general  principles  alone  were  regularly  communicated  to 
the  press.  It  was  not  difficult  to  trace  in  them  the  prac 
tical  hand  of  Max. 

"In  preparing  for  defence,"  said  the  townsfolk,  "the 
great  thing  is  to  know  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  and 
adapt  the  system  of  resistance  to  that  strength.  No 


Plans  for  the  defence. 


Page  182. 


CLEARING  FOR  ACTION.  183 

doubt,  Herr  Schultz's  cannon  are  formidable,  but  it  is 
better  to  have  to  face  these  guns,  of  which  we  know  the 
number,  calibre,  range,  and  effect,  than  to  have  to  combat 
unknown  engines." 

It  was  decided  to  prevent  the  investment  of  the  town, 
either  by  land  or  sea. 

How  this  was  best  to  be  done  was  a  question  actively 
discussed  by  the  Council,  and  the  day  on  which  a  placard 
announced  that  this  problem  was  solved,  no  one  doubted 
it.  The  citizens  hastened  en  masse  to  execute  the  under 
taking.  No  tasks  were  despised  which  could  contribute 
to  the  work  of  defence.  Men  of  all  ages,  and  of  every 
position  in  life,  became  simple  labourers  on  this  occasion, 
and  everything  went  on  rapidly  and  cheerfully.  Pro 
visions  sufficient  for  two  years  were  stored  in  the  town. 
Coal  and  iron  also  were  brought  in  considerable  quanti 
ties  ;  the  iron,  being  requisite  for  manufacturing  arms  of 
all  sorts,  and  the  coal  absolutely  necessary,  both  for 
warmth,  and  for  fuel  to  work  the  various  warlike  engines  it 
was  intended  to  employ. 

In  addition  to  the  heaps  of  iron  and  coal  could  be  seen 
gigantic  piles,  composed  of  sacks  of  flour,  and  quarters  of 
'smoked  meat,  stacks  of  cheeses,  mountains  of  preserved  and 
dried  vegetables,  all  stored  in  the  market  places.  Numbers 
of  sheep  and  cattle  were  also  enclosed  in  the  beautiful 
gardens  of  the  town. 


184  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

When  the  decree  appeared  for  the  mobilisation  of  all 
men  able  to  carry  arms,  the  enthusiasm  with  which  it  was 
received,  testified  to  the  excellent  disposition  of  these 
soldier-citizens.  Plainly  dressed  in  woollen  shirts,  cloth 
trousers  and  half-boots,  strong  leather  caps,  and  armed 
with  Werder  rifles,  they  drilled  every  day  in  the  avenues. 

Gangs  of  coolies  banked  up  earth,  dug  trenches,  raised 
intrenchments  and  redoubts  at  every  favourable  point. 
The  casting  of  guns  had  been  commenced  and  pushed  on 
with  activity,  for  the  numerous  smoke  furnaces  in  the  city 
were  easily  transformed  into  casting  furnaces. 

Max  was  indefatigable  in  all  this.  He  was  here,  there, 
and  everywhere  in  the  thick  of  all  the  work.  Did  some 
theoretical  or  practical  difficulty  arise,  he  could  imme 
diately  solve  it.  If  necessary,  he  turned  up  his  sleeves 
and  gave  a  practical  definition.  His  authority  was  always 
accepted  without  a  murmur,  and  his  orders  punctually 
attended  to. 

Next  to  him,  Otto  did  his  best.  Although  at  first  he 
had  thought  of  ornamenting  his  uniform  with  gold  lace, 
he  soon  gave  up  the  idea,  seeing  that  to  set  a  good 
example  to  others  he  must  be  content  to  do  the  duty  of  a 
simple  soldier. 

He,  therefore,  took  his  place  in  the  battalion  assigned  to 
him,  and  conducted  himself  like  a  model  soldier.  To 
those  who  at  first  attempted  to  pity  him,  he  replied — 


I 

!jl  I 


Coolies  at  work. 


Page 


(  l.KARING  FOR  ACTION.  185 

"  Every  one  according  to  his  merits.  lYrliaps  I  should 
not  have  been  able  to  command  !  The  least  I  can  do  is  to 
learn  to  obey  !  " 

A  report — which  turned  out  to  be  false — gave  a  still 
more  lively  impulse  to  the  works  of  defence.  Ilcrr  Schultz, 
it  was  said,  was  negotiating  with  some  maritime  company 
for  the  transport  of  his  cannon.  From  that  time  these 
sort  of  hoaxes  were  the  order  of  the  day.  Now  it  was 
that  the  Schultz  fleet  was  off  the  coast  of  Frankvillc,  and 
now  that  the  Sacramento  Railway  had  been  cut  by  Uhlans, 
who  had  apparently  dropped  from  the  clouds. 

But  all  these  rumours,  which  were  immediately  con 
tradicted,  were  invented  by  the  correspondents  of  news 
papers,  hard  up  for  matter  to  fill  their  despatches,  their 
object  being  to  sustain  the  curiosity  of  their  readers.  The 
truth  was  that  Stahlstadt  did  not  give  the  least  sign  of 
life. 

This  perfect  quietude,  although  it  left  Max  ample  time 
to  complete  his  preparations,  caused  him  a  good  deal  of 
uneasiness  in  his  rare  moments  of  leisure. 

"  Is  it  possible  that  the  ruffian  has  changed  his  tactics, 
and  is  preparing  some  new  mode  of  attack  ?  "  he  thought. 

However,  the  plans  for  checking  the  advance  of  the 
enemy's  ships,  and  preventing  the  investment  of  the  town, 
promised  to  answer  well,  and  Max  redoubled  his  exertions. 

1 1  is  sole  pleasure  and  only  rest,  after  a  hard  day's  work, 


1 86  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

was  the  short  hour  which  he  passed  every  evening  in 
Madame  Sarrasin's  drawing-room. 

From  the  first,  the  doctor  had  stipulated  that  he  should 
always  come  and  dine  at  his  house,  unless  he  was  pre 
vented  by  another  engagement ;  but,  by  some  singular 
circumstance,  no  other  invitation  enticing  enough  to 
make  Max  give  up  this  privilege  had  as  yet  presented 
itself. 

The  everlasting  game  of  chess  between  the  doctor  and 
Colonel  Hendon  could  not  have  been  sufficiently  interest 
ing  to  explain  the  punctuality  with  which  he  presented 
himself  every  day  at  the  door  of  the  mansion.  We  are 
therefore  compelled  to  believe  that  there  was  another 
attraction  for  Max,  and  we  might,  perhaps,  have  suspected 
its  nature,  although,  assuredly,  he  did  not  as  yet  suspect  it 
himself,  had  we  observed  the  interest  which  he  took  in  the 
conversations  between  himself,  Madame  Sarrasin,  and 
Mademoiselle  Jeannette,  when  they  were  all  three  seated 
near  the  large  table,  at  which  the  two  ladies  were  working 
at  what  might  be  necessary  for  future  service  in  the 
ambulances. 

"Will  these  new  steel  bolts  be  better  than  those  of 
which  you  showed  us  a  drawing  ? "  asked  Jeannette,  who 
was  interested  in  everything  connected  with  the  defence. 

"  No  doubt  about  it,  mademoiselle,"  replied  Max. 

"  Ah,  I  am  very  glad  of  that !    But  how  much  trouble 


CLEARING  FOR  ACTION. 


and  research  is  represented  by  the  smallest  industrial 
particular.  You  told  me  that  five  hundred  fresh  yards  of 
the  trench  were  dug  yesterday  ?  That  is  a  great  deal,  is 
it  not  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  no,  it  is  not  nearly  enough.  At  that  rate  we 
shall  not  have  finished  the  enclosure  at  the  end  of  a 
month." 

"  I  should  much  like  to  see  it  done,  and  these  horrible 
Schultz  people  arriving  !  Men  are  very  fortunate  in  being 
able  to  work  and  make  themselves  useful.  Waiting  is 
never  so  trying  for  them  as  for  us,  who  are  of  no  use." 

"  Of  no  use  !  "  exclaimed  Max,  usually  so  calm,  "  no  use  ! 
And  for  whom  do  you  think  do  these  brave  men,  who 
have  left  everything  to  become  soldiers,  for  whom  do  they 
work,  if  not  to  secure  the  safety  and  happiness  of  their 
mothers,  their  wives,  and  those  whom  they  hope  may 
become  their  wives  ?  From  whence  comes  their  ardour,  if 
not  from  you,  and  to  what  would  you  trace  this  readiness 
to  sacrifice  themselves,  if  not  -  " 

Here  Max  got  rather  confused,  and  stopped.  Mademoi 
selle  Jeannette  did  not  urge  him,  and  good  Madame 
Sarrasin  herself  was  obliged  to  close  the  discussion  by 
saying  to  the  young  man  that  a  love  of  duty  was  doubtless 
sufficient  to  explain  the  zeal  of  the  greater  number. 

And  when  Max,  at  the  call  of  inexorable  duty,  tore 
himself  away  from  this  pleasant  talk,  in  order  to  finish  a 


1 88  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

plan,  or  an  estimate,  he  carried  with  him   the   invincible 
determination  to  save  Frankville  and  its  inhabitants. 

Little  could  he  conjecture  what  was  about  to  happen, 
and  yet  it  was  but  the  inevitable  result  of  a  state  of 
things  so  utterly  unnatural  as  this  concentration  of  all 
power  in  a  single  person,  which  was  the  fundamental 
principle  in  the  City  of  Steel. 


THE  EXCHANGE   OF   SAN    FRANCISCO.  189 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  EXCHANGE  OF   SAN   FRANCISCO. 

THE  Exchange  of  San  Francisco,  by  which  term  is  ex 
pressed,  as  it  were  algebraically,  immense  industrial  and 
commercial  business,  presents  one  of  the  strangest  and  most 
animated  scenes  in  the  world. 

The  geographical  position  of  the  capital  of  California 
imparts  to  its  Exchange,  as  a  natural  consequence,  the 
cosmopolitan  character,  which  is  one  of  its  most  remarkable 
features. 

Beneath  its  handsome  red  granite  porticoes,  the  tall,  fair 
Saxon  jostles  the  slight,  active  dark-haired  Celt.  The  negro 
meets  the  Finlander  and  the  Hindoo. 

The  Polynesian  gazes  with  astonishment  at  the  Green- 
lander.  The  Chinaman,  with  oblique  eyes  and  long  plaited 
pigtail,  endeavours  to  outdo  in  trade  his  historic  enemy,, 
the  Japanese. 


THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


Every  tongue,  every  dialect,  every  jargon  mingles  there 
as  in  a  modern  Babel. 

On  the  1  2th  of  October  this  place  of  business  opened  in 
the  usual  way.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  the  principal 
brokers  and  men  of  business  began  to  arrive,  accost  one 
another  gravely  or  gaily,  according  to  their  several  tempers, 
shaking  hands,  and  going  together  to  the  refreshment  bar 
to  fortify  themselves  by  "  liquoring  up  "  for  the  operations 
of  the  day. 

One  after  the  other  went  to  open  the  little  metal  door  of 
the  numbered  letter-boxes,  which  in  the  vestibule  received 
the  correspondence  of  subscribers.  Enormous  packets  of 
letters  were  drawn  forth,  and  eagerly  examined. 

In  a  short  time  the  market  prices  for  the  day  were 
announced,  when  the  crowd  gradually  increased.  Groups 
more  or  less  numerous  were  formed,  from  among  which 
arose  a  murmur  and  hum  of  human  voices. 

Then  commenced  a  shower  of  telegraphic  messages  from 
all  quarters  of  the  globe. 

Scarcely  a  minute  passed  that  the  officials  of  the  Ex 
change  did  not  add  a  fresh  strip  of  blue  paper  to  the 
collection  of  telegrams  placarded  on  the  north  wall,  which 
was  read  forth  in  a  stentorian  voice,  amid  the  now  deafening 
buzz. 

The  commotion  and  hubbub  went  on  increasing. 

Clerks    rushed   in   and   out;    the  telegraph   office  was 


THE  EXCHANGE   OF  SAN   FRANCISCO.  19 1 

besieged ;    messages    sent    out,    answers     received    every 
instant. 

All  note-books  were  open,  entries  made,  erased,  or  torn 
up. 

At  about  one  o'clock  a  contagious  excitement  appeared 
to  take  possession  of  the  crowd.  A  mysterious  sensation 
passed  like  the  trembling  of  an  earthquake  through  these 
agitated  groups  of  human  beings. 

A  piece  of  news,  startling,  unexpected,  and  incredible  had 
been  brought  by  one  of  the  partners  in  the  Bank  of  the  Far 
West,  and  it  circulated  with  the  rapidity  of  an  electric 
flash. 

Exclamations  and  comments  were  heard  on  all  sides. 

"Impossible!  It's  a  trick — a  hoax,"  said  some.  "Who 
is  likely  to  believe  anything  so  preposterous  ?" 

"Well,"  said  others,  "there  may  be  something  in  it.  No 
smoke  without  fire,  you  know." 

u  But  is  a  man  in  his  position  likely  to  fail  ? " 

"  People  in  apparently  the  very  best  positions  fail." 

"  But,  sir,"  cried  one,  "  the  fixtures,  tools  and  engines 
alone  represent  more  than  eighty  million  dollars  !  " 

"  Without  reckoning  the  cast  iron  and  steel,  raw  material, 
and  manufactured  articles  ! "  added  another. 

"  To  be  sure  !  That's  just  what  I  say,  too  !  Schultz  is 
good  for  ninety  millions  of  dollars,  and  I'll  undertake  to  be 
answerable  for  that  on  his  demand  ! " 


192  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Well,  but  then  how  do  you  explain  this  suspension  of 
payment  ? " 

"  Explain !  I  don't  explain  it  at  all !  I  don't  believe 
it!" 

"  Don't  you  ?  As  if  such  things  did  not  happen  every 
day  to  houses  of  the  most  firm  and  established  reputations  !" 

"  Stahlstadt  is  not  a  house  ;  it  is  a  city." 

"  Of  course !  It  is  perfectly  impossible  it  can  have 
broken  up  so  completely.  A  company  will  certainly  be 
formed  to  carry  on  the  business." 

"  But  why  on  earth  did  not  Schultz  form  such  a  company 
instead  of  declaring  himself  bankrupt  ? " 

"  Exactly,  sir ;  and  there's  the  absurdity !  So  absurd 
that  the  statement  won't  bear  examination.  It  is  neither 
more  nor  less  than  a  pure  fabrication,  probably  invented 
by  Nash,  who  is  desperately  anxious  for  a  rise  in  steel." 

"  A  fabrication  ?  False  intelligence  ?  Nothing  of  the 
sort !  Schultz  has  not  only  failed  ;  he  has  absconded  !  " 

"Come!     Come!" 

"  Absconded,  sir  !  The  telegram  announcing  it  has  this 
moment  been  posted  up  !" 

A  formidable  wave  of  humanity  rolled  towards  the  frame 
in  which  the  despatches  were  placarded. 

The  last  strip  of  blue  paper  bore  these  words  : 

"New  York,  12.40. — Central  Bank.  Manufactory  of 
Stahlstadt.  Stopped  payment.  Liabilities,  as  far  as 


Great  excitement  among  business  men. 


Page  192. 


THE  EXCHANGE  OF   SAN   FRANCISCO.  193 


known :  forty-seven  million  dollars.  Schultz  has  dis 
appeared." 

There  was  now  no  doubt  about  the  truth  of  the  astounding 
intelligence  ;  and  conjectures  and  rumours  were  rife. 

By  two  o'clock  lists  of  failures  consequent  upon  that  of 
Schultz  began  to  pour  in. 

The  Mining  Bank  of  New  York  lost  most. 

The  firm  of  Westerly  and  Son  at  Chicago  was  implicated 
to  the  extent  of  seven  million  dollars. 

The  house  of  the  Mitwaukees  of  Buffalo,  five  millions. 

The  Industrial  Bank  of  San  Francisco,  a  million  and  a 
half. 

The  names  of  numbers  of  minor  firms  followed  with 
proportionate  losses. 

But,  without  waiting  for  this  news,  came  the  natural 
rebound. 

The  money  market,  which  was  so  dull  in  the  morning, 
was  now  not  steady  for  two  hours  together.  What 
starts !  what  rises !  what  fluctuations,  what  unrestrained 
speculation ! 

A  rise  in  steel,  and  going  up  eveiy  minute ;  a  rise  in 
coal ;  a  rise  in  the  shares  of  all  the  foundries  in  the 
American  Union ;  a  rise  in  the  products  of  every  kind  of 
iron  industry  ;  a  rise  in  Frankville  land. 

Although  on  the  declaration  of  war  the  latter  had  fallen 
to  zero,  and  disappeared  from  the  list  of  quotations,  it 

O 


194  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

had  now  suddenly  risen  to  a  hundred  and  eighty  dollars 
an  acre. 

In  the  evening  the  newspaper  shops  were  perfectly 
besieged.  But  though  the  Herald,  the  Tribune,  \htAlta, 
the  Gtiardian,  the  Echo,  and  the  Globe  printed  in  gigantic 
characters  the  meagre  information  they  had  been  able  to 
collect,  it  after  all  amounted  to  very  little. 

All  that  was  known  was,  that  on  the  2 5th  of  September, 
a  draft  for  eight  millions  of  dollars,  accepted  by  Herr 
Schultz,  drawn  by  Jackson,  Elder,  and  Co.,  of  Buffalo, 
having  been  presented  to  Schring,  Strauss,  and  Co.,  the 
King  of  Steel's  bankers,  in  New  York,  those  gentlemen  had 
stated  that  the  balance  to  their  client's  account  was  iiir 
sufficient  for  such  an  enormous  sum,  and  had  telegraphed 
this  to  him,  without  receiving  any  answer. 

On  referring  to  their  books,  they  perceived  with  con 
sternation  that  for  thirteen  days  no  letter  and  no  bills  had 
come  from  Stahlstadt. 

From  that  moment  drafts  and  cheques,  drawn  by  Herr 
Schultz  on  their  bank,  came  in  daily,  to  undergo  the  fate 
of  being  returned  with  the  words,  no  funds. 

For  four  days  inquiries,  telegrams,  and  furious  questions 
rained  from  one  side  on  the  bank  and  then  again  on 
Stahlstadt. 

At  last  a  decisive  reply  was  given. 

"  Herr  Schultz  disappeared  on  the  i/th  of  September," 


THE  EXCHANGE   OF  SAN   FRANCISCO.  195 

so  said  the  telegram.  "  No  one  can  throw  the  least  light 
on  this  mystery.  He  has  left  no  orders,  and  the  coffers  in 
every  section  are  empty." 

Since  then  it  had  been  no  longer  possible  to  conceal  the 
truth.  Many  of  the  principal  creditors  had  taken  fright 
and  sent  in  their  claims  to  the  commercial  court.  Ruin 
spread  rapidly  in  all  directions. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  on  the  I3th  of  October,  the  total 
amount  of  failures  was  estimated  at  forty-seven  millions  of 
dollars.  When  everything  became  known  it  was  likely  to 
amount  to  sixty  millions. 

This  was  all  that  could  be  said,  and  all  that  the  journals, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  could  report.  Of  course  they 
announced  for  the  next  day  full  and  special  particulars, 
"  as  yet  unpublished."  And,  indeed,  to  do  them  justice, 
each,  within  an  hour  of  the  first  announcement,  had 
despatched  a  correspondent  on  the  road  to  Stahlstadt. 

By  the  evening  of  the  I4th  of  October,  Steel  City  was 
besieged  by  an  army  of  reporters,  all  with  open  note-books, 
and  pencils  in  hand.  Like  a  wave,  however,  they  broke 
against  the  outer  wall,  for  the  sentries  were  in  their  places, 
and  any  attempt  to  bribe  or  soften  them  was  utterly  in 
vain. 

They,  nevertheless,  ascertained  that  the  workmen  as  yet 
knew  nothing,  and  that  the  routine  of  the  sections  in  nothing 
had  been  changed.  The  overseers  had  merely  announced 

O  2 


196  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

the  day  before  by  superior  order,  that  no  funds  nor  in 
structions  had  been  issued  from  the  Central  Block,  and 
that  in  consequence  the  works  would  be  suspended  the 
following  Saturday,  unless  contrary  orders  were  received. 

All  this  only  complicated,  instead  of  throwing  any  light 
on  the  situation. 

That  Herr  Schultz  had  disappeared  for  nearly  a  month  r 
of  that  there  was  no  doubt.  But  what  might  be  the  cause 
and  import  of  this  disappearance  no  one  knew.  A  vague 
impression  that  the  mysterious  personage  might,  at  any 
moment  re-appear  still  prevailed,  and  seemed  to  lessen  the 
general  uneasiness. 

For  some  days  all  work  had  gone  on  as  usual.  Every 
one  had  pursued  his  task  within  the  limited  horizon  of  his 
section.  The  salaries  were  paid  from  the  strong  boxes 
every  Saturday,  and  the  principal  coffer  had  met  all 
local  necessities.  But  centralisation  had  been  brought  to 
too  high  a  pitch  of  perfection  in  Stahlstadt ;  the  master 
had  reserved  so  absolutely  to  himself  the  superintendence 
of  everything,  that  his  absence  could  not  fail  in  a  very 
short  time  to  cause  a  stoppage  in  the  machinery.  Thus, 
from  the  i/th  of  September,  the  day  on  which  the  King 
of  Steel  had  signed  his  orders  for  the  last  time  up  to  the 
1 3th  of  October,  when  the  news  of  the  suspension  of 
payment  had  burst  like  a  thunder-clap,  millions  of  letters, 
a  large  number  containing  considerable  bills,  passed  through 


THE   EXCHANGE   OF   SAN   FRANCISCO.  197 

the  Stahlstadt  Post  Office,  had  been  deposited  in  the  box 
of  the  Central  Block,  and  no  doubt  had  reached  Herr 
Schultz's  study.  But  he  alone  had  the  right  to  open  them, 
mark  them  with  a  red  pencil,  and  transmit  them  to  the 
principal  cashier. 

Even  the  highest  functionaries  in  the  town  never  dreamt 
of  doing  anything  out  of  their  regular  department. 

Invested  with  almost  absolute  power  over  their  subordi 
nates,  they  were  each,  in  connection  with  Herr  Schultz — 
as  they  were  also  with  his  memory — like  so  many  instru 
ments,  without  authority,  without  power  of  initiating,  or- 
a  voice  in  any  matter.  Each  fortified  himself  within  the 
narrow  limits  of  his  commission,  waited,  temporised,  and 
watched  the  course  of  events. 

The  end  came  at  last.  This  remarkable  state  of 
affairs  was  prolonged  until  the  principal  houses  interested, 
suddenly  seized  with  a  panic,  telegraphed,  begged  for  an 
answer,  entreated,  protested,  and  finally  commenced  legal 
proceedings.  This  took  some  time.  No  one  was  willing 
hastily  to  suspect  that  prosperity,  so  firmly  believed  in,  had 
been  resting  on  an  insecure  basis.  But  the  fact  was  now 
patent :  Herr  Schultz  had  fled  from  his  creditors. 

This  was  all  that  the  reporters  could  gather.  The 
celebrated  Meiklejohn  himself,  famous  for  having  extracted 
a  political  avowal  from  President  Grant,  the  most  taciturn 
man  of  his  time;  the  indefatigable  Blunderbuss,  remarkable 


198  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

for  being  the  first,  although  but  a  simple  correspondent  of 
The  World,  to  announce  to  the  Czar  the  news  of  the 
capitulation  of  Plevna,  even  these  great  men  in  the  re 
porting  line  had  not  this  time  been  more  fortunate  than 
their  brethren.  They  were  forced  to  confess  to  themselves 
that  The  Tribune  and  The  World  could  not  yet  give  the 
latest  news  of  the  bankrupt  Schultz. 

That  Stahlstadt  was  indeed  in  a  strange  situation  will 
be  seen  when  it  is  remembered  that  it  was  an  independent 
and  isolated  town,  permitting  no  regular  and  legal  inquiry. 
Herr  Schultz's  signature  was,  it  is  true,  protested  at  New 
York,  and  his  creditors  had  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  stock  and  manufactory  would  indemnify  them  in  some 
degree. 

But  to  what  court  should  they  apply  to  obtain  an 
execution  or  a  sequestration  ?  Stahlstadt  lay  in  a  territory 
of  its  own,  where  everything  belonged  to  Herr  Schultz. 

If  only  he  had  left  a  representative,  an  administrative 
council,  or  a  substitute.  But  there  was  nothing  of  the  sort. 
He  himself  was  king,  judge,  general-in-chief,  notary,  lawyer, 
and  the  only  commercial  court  in  the  city.  In  his  person 
he  had  realised  the  ideal  of  centralisation. 

Therefore,  he  being  absent,  there  was  absolutely  no  one 
in  power,  and  the  whole  fabric  fell  like  a  house  of  cards. 

In  any  other  situation,  the  creditors  would  have  been 
able  to  form  a  syndicate,  substituting  themselves  for  Herr 


THE   EXCHANGE   OF   SAN   FRANCISCO.  199 

Schultz,  lay  hands  on  the  stock,  and  take  the  direction 
of  affairs.  To  all  appearance  only  a  little  money  and 
regulating  power  was  needed  to  set  the  machine  to  work. 

But  nothing  of  this  was  possible.  The  proper  legal 
instrument  to  effect  this  substitution  was  wanting.  There 
was  a  moral  barrier  round  the  City  of  Steel,  which  was  if 
possible  more  insurmountable  than  its  walls.  The  un 
fortunate  creditors  could  see  the  securities  for  their  debts, 
though  quite  unable  to  touch  them. 

All  they  could  do  was  to  unite  in  a  general  assembly, 
and  agree  to  address  a  request  to  the  Congress  to  ask  it  to 
take  their  case  in  hand,  espouse  the  interests  of  its  natives, 
pronounce  the  annexation  of  Stahlstadt  to  American 
territory,  and  thus  include  this  monstrous  creation  in  the 
common  laws  of  civilisation.  Several  members  of  the  Con 
gress  were  personally  interested  in  the  business,  the  request 
was  tempting  to  the  American  character,  and  there  was 
reason  to  believe  that  it  would  be  crowned  with  complete 
success. 

Unfortunately  the  Congress  was  not  then  in  session,  so 
that  a  long  delay  was  to  be  feared  before  the  matter  could 
be  submitted  to  it. 

Until  that  time  nothing  could  be  done  in  Stahlstadt,  and 
one  by  one  the  furnaces  were  extinguished. 

The  consternation  among  the  population  of  ten  thousand 
families  who  lived  by  the  manufactory  was  profound.  But 


200  THE  BEGUM'S  FOETUNE. 

what  were  they  to  do  ?  Continue  to  work  in  hopes  of 
wages,  which  might  be  six  months  in  coming,  or  might 
never  come  at  all  ?  No  one  was  inclined  to  adopt  this 
opinion.  Besides,  what  work  could  they  do  ?  The  source 
from  which  orders  came  was  dried  up  as  well  as  everything 
else.  All  Herr  Schultz's  clients  waited  the  legal  solution. 
The  heads  of  the  sections,  engineers,  and  overseers,  could 
do  nothing  for  want  of  orders. 

Numberless  assemblies,  meetings,  and  debates  took 
place,  though  no  plan  could  really  be  fixed  on.  The 
enforced  stoppage  soon  brought  with  it  a  train  of  misery, 
despair,  and  vice.  As  the  workshops  emptied,  the  public- 
houses  filled.  For  each  chimney  which  ceased  to  smoke 
in  the  factory,  a  tavern  sprung  up  in  one  of  the  neigh 
bouring  villages. 

The  wisest  and  most  prudent  among  the  workmen,  those 
who  had  foreseen  hard  times,  and  had  laid  by  for  a  rainy 
day,  hastened  to  escape  with  bag  and  baggage ;  and 
happy  rosy-cheeked  children,  wild  with  delight  at  the 
new  world  revealed  to  them,  peeped  through  the  curtains 
of  the  departing  waggons,  loaded  with  their  father's  tools 
and  furniture,  and  the  precious  bedding,  dear  to  the  heart 
of  the  housewife.  These  all  were  scattered  east,  south, 
and  north,  soon  finding  other  factories,  other  anvils,  other 
hearthstones. 

But  for  one  who  could  thus  depart,  there  were  ten  whose 


THE  EXCHANGE  OF  SAN   FRANCISCO.  2OI 

poverty  nailed  them  to  the  soil !  There  they  remained, 
hollow-eyed  and  broken-hearted !  Selling  their  poor 
garments  to  the  flock  of  birds-of-prey  in  human  shape, 
whose  instinct  attracts  them  to  scenes  of  great  disasters, 
reduced  to  the  last  extremities  in  a  few  days,  deprived  of 
credit  as  well  as  of  wages,  of  hope  as  well  as  work,  and 
seeing  before  them  a  future  of  misery  as  black  and  dismal 
as  the  fast  approaching  winter  ! 


202  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A   BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN   CAPTURE  A  TOWN. 

WHEN  tidings  of  the  disappearance  of  Schultz  reached 
Frankville,  Max's  first  words  were — 

"  Suppose  it  should  be  merely  a  trick  !" 

He  reflected,  however,  that  the  results  to  Stahlstadt  had 
been  so  disastrous  as  to  make  such  a$  hypothesis  in 
admissible. 

Still,  as  hatred  is  an  unreasoning  passion,  the  exasperated 
rage  of  such  a  man  as  Herr  Schultz  might  really  render 
him  capable -of  sacrificing  everything  to  it  Whether  or 
not  this  was  the  case,  it  was  undeniably  necessary  to  be  on 
the  "  qui  vive." 

The  Council  of  Defence  immediately,  therefore,  issued  a 
proclamation  exhorting  the  inhabitants  to  be  on  their 
guard  against  false  reports  spread  by  the  enemy,  with  the 
object  of  lulling  them  into  security. 

Frankville  judged  it  prudent  to  continue  all  the  prepara- 


A  BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN  CAPTURE  A  TOWN.   203 

tions  for  defence,  taking  no  notice  of  what  might  after  all 
prove  to  be  a  stratagem  of  its  arch-enemy. 

But  by-and-by  the  journals  of  San  Francisco,  Chicago, 
and  New  York  published  further  details,  and  news  of  the 
financial  and  commercial  consequences  of  the  Stahlstadt 
catastrophy,  forming  altogether  a  mass  of  evidence  to  prove 
that  Schultz  was  a  genuine  bankrupt,  and  had  indeed 
disappeared. 

And  so,  one  fine  morning,  the  doctor's  model  city  became 
aroused  to  the  fact  that  it  was  safe,  just  as  a  sleeper  escapes 
from  the  oppression  of  a  horrible  dream  by  the  simple 
operation  of  awaking. 

Yes !  Frankville  was  clearly  out  of  danger,  without 
having  to  strike  a  blow,  and  Max,  now  absolutely  certain 
of  it,  announced  the  news  amid  public  rejoicing. 

A  strain  seemed  suddenly  removed.  The  public  drew,, 
as  it  were,  a  long  sigh  of  relief,  and  assumed  a  holiday 
aspect. 

Everybody  shook  hands,  offered  mutual  congratulations, 
and  invited  each  other  to  dinner.  All  the  women  came 
out  in  fresh  toilettes,  and  the  men  took  leave  of  drill,, 
manoeuvres,  and  hard  work. 

Every  one  went  about  looking  satisfied,  and  beaming. 
Frankville  was  just  like  a  town  peopled  with  convalescents. 
But  among  them  all,  the  happiest  was  unquestionably 
Doctor  Sarrasin. 


204  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

The  worthy  man  had  felt  himself  responsible  for  the 
fate  of  those  who  had  come  with  confidence  to  settle  on  his 
territory,  and  to  place  themselves  under  his  protection. 

For  the  last  month,  the  fear  of  having  allured  them  to 
destruction,  when  he  had  only  sought  their  happiness,  had 
never  left  him  a  moment's  rest.  Now  he  was  released  from 
terrible  anxiety,  and  breathed  freely. 

This  common  danger  had  more  closely  united  the 
citizens.  All  classes  had  been  brought  nearer  to  each 
other,  and  knew  themselves  brothers,  animated  with  the 
same  feelings,  and  affected  by  the  same  interests.  A 
new  sensation  had  sprung  up  in  the  hearts  of  all. 
Henceforward  the  inhabitants  had  a  strong  feeling  of 
patriotism  for  Frankville.  They  had  feared,  they  had 
suffered  for  their  town,  and  now  they  knew  how  much 
they  loved  it. 

The  material  results  of  having  placed  it  in  a  state  of 
defence  were  also  to  the  advantage  of  the  city.  Their 
strength  was  known.  They  felt  more  sure  of  themselves, 
and  would  now  be  ready  for  whatever  the  future  might 
bring. 

The  prospects  of  Doctor  Sarrasin's  work  had  never 
appeared  more  brilliant ;  and  (a  rare  thing)  no  ingratitude 
was  shown  towards  Max.  Although  the  safety  of  the 
population  had  not  been  his  work,  public  thanks  were 
voted  to  the  young  engineer,  as  to  the  organiser  of  the 


A  BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN  CAPTURE  A  TOWN.   205, 

defence,  the  man  to  whose  devotion  the  town  would  have 
owed  its  safety,  had  the  plans  of  Herr  Schultz  succeeded. 

Max,  however,  did  not  regard  his  part  as  finished.  The 
mystery  surrounding  Stahlstadt  might  still,  he  thought, 
conceal  danger.  He  could,  not  rest  satisfied  until  he  had 
thrown  complete  light  into  the  very  midst  of  the  darkness 
which  still  enveloped  the  City  of  Steel. 

He  resolved,  therefore,  to  return  to  Stahlstadt,  and  to 
stop  at  nothing  until  he  had  probed  the  last  secret  to  its 
depths. 

Doctor  Sarrasin  represented  to  him  that  the  enterprise 
would  be  difficult,  that  it  would  bristle  with  dangers,  that 
he  knew  not  what  mines  might  spring  beneath  his  feet,  and 
that,  in  fact,  it  would  resemble  a  descent  into  the  lower 
regions.  Herr  Schultz,  such  as  he  had  been  described  to 
him,  was  not  a  man  to  disappear  with  impunity  to  others, 
or  to  bury  himself  alone  beneath  the  ruins  of  all  his  hopes. 
They  had  every  reason  to  fear  the  last  desperate  design 
of  such  a  man.  It  would  be  like  the  terrible  dying  agony 
of  a  shark ! 

"My  dear  doctor,  it  is  just  because  I  think  all  you 
imagine  possible  that  I  believe  it  my  duty  to  go  to 
Stahlstadt,"  answered  Max.  "  The  place  may  be  compared 
to  a  shell  from  which  I  must  snatch  the  match  before  it 
bursts,  and  I  will  even  ask  your  permission  to  take  Otto 
with  me." 


2o6  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


"  Otto  ! "  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

"  Yes  !  He  is  now  a  fine  fellow,  who  may  be  relied  on  ; 
and  I  assure  you  that  this  excursion  will  do  him  a  great 
deal  of  good!" 

"  May  God  protect  you  both ! "  returned  the  old  man, 
fervently  grasping  his  hand. 

The  next  morning  a  carriage  drove  through  the  deserted 
villages  and  deposited  Max  and  Otto  at  the  gate  of 
Stahlstadt. 

Both  were  well  equipped,  well  armed,  and  very  determined 
not  to  come  back  until  they  had  cleared  up  the  mystery. 

They  walked  side  by  side  along  the  outer  road  which 
led  round  the  fortifications,  and  the  truth,  which  Max 
till  then  had  persisted  in  doubting,  now  lay  before 
them. 

It  was  evident  that  the  place  was  completely  deserted. 
From  the  lonely  road,  which  he  now  trod  with  Otto,  he 
could  formerly  have  seen  within  the  town  flaring  gas,  or 
the  flash  of  a  sentinel's  bayonet,  and  many  other  signs  of 
life.  The  windows  of  the  different  sections  would  have 
been  illuminated  and  dazzling.  Now  all  was  gloomy  and 
silent.  Death  seemed  to  hover  over  the  city,  its  tall 
chimneys  standing  up  like  skeletons.  The  footfalls  of 
Max  and  his  companion  alone  aroused  the  echoes  of  the 
place.  The  sensation  of  solitude  and  desolation  was  so 
strong  that  Otto  could  not  help  remarking — 


Entering  Stahlstadt. 


Page  207. 


A  BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN  CAPTURE  A  TOWN.   2O/ 

"  It  is  singular,  but  I  have  never  felt  silence  similar  to 
this  !  We  might  suppose  ourselves  in  a  cemetery  !  " 

It  was  seven  o'clock  when  Max  and  Otto  reached  the 
edge  of  the  moat,  opposite  to  the  principal  gate  of  Stahlstadt. 
Not  a  living  creature  appeared  on  the  crest  of  the  wall,  and 
of  the  sentinels  who  formerly  had  stood  at  equal  distances 
all  round,  like  so  many  human  posts,  not  one  remained. 
The  drawbridge  was  raised,  leaving  before  the  gate  a  gulf 
from  five  to  six  yards  in  width. 

It  took  them  more  than  an  hour  before  they  could 
succeed  in  fastening  the  end  of  a  stout  rope,  by  throw 
ing  it  with  all  their  might,  so  as  to  catch  over  one  of 
the  beams.  After  much  trouble,  Max  managed  it,  and 
Otto  going  first,  drew  himself  up  hand  over  hand  to 
the  top  of  the  gate.  Max  passed  up  to  him  their 
arms  and  ammunition,  and  then  he  himself  took  the 
same  way. 

They  now  carried  their  rope  to  the  other  side  of  the  wall, 
let  down  all  their  impedimenta,  and  finally  slid  down 
themselves. 

The  two  young  men  were  now  on  the  roundway  which 
Max  remembered  having  followed  the  first  day  he  entered 
Stahlstadt.  Complete  silence  and  solitude  were  all  around. 
Before  them  rose,  black  and  dumb,  the  imposing  mass  of 
buildings  which  glared  with  their  thousand  glass  windows 
at  the  intruders,  as  if  to  say — 


208  THF  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Be  off!  You  have  no  business  to  attempt  the  penetra 
tion  of  our  secrets  ! " 

Max  and  Otto  consulted. 

"  We  will  assail  the  O  gate,  as  that  is  the  one  with  which 
I  am  best  acquainted,"  said  Max. 

They  bent  their  steps  westward,  and  soon  arrived  before 
the  monumental  arch,  which  bore  on  its  front  the  letter  O. 
The  two  massive  oaken  doors,  full  of  great  iron  nails,  were 
closed.  Max  approached,  and  struck  them  several  times 
with  a  large  stone  taken  from  the  road. 

The  echo  alone  resounded. 

"  Come  !  to  work  ! "  he  cried  to  Otto. 

They  had  now  to  recommence  the  troublesome  work  of 
throwing  their  rope  over  the  door,  until  it  met  with  some 
obstacle  on  which  it  would  firmly  catch.  This  was  difficult, 
but  they  succeeded  at  last,  and  Max  and  Otto  surmounted 
the  wall,  and  found  themselves  in  section  O. 

"  What  a  nuisance ! "  exclaimed  Otto,  looking  round  ; 
"  where  is  the  use  of  all  our  trouble  ?  We  have  made  but 
little  progress !  No  sooner  have  we  got  over  one  wall, 
than  we  find  another  before  us  ! " 

"  Silence  in  the  ranks  ! "  returned  Max.  "  Here  we  are 
in  my  old  workshop.  I  am  not  sorry  to  see  it  again,  that 
we  may  possess  ourselves  of  certain  tools  which  we  shall  be 
sure  to  need,  not  forgetting  a  few  packets  of  dynamite." 

As  he  spoke  they  entered  the  great  casting-hall,  to  which 


A  BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN  CAPTURE  A  TOWN.   20Q 


the  young  Alsacian  had  been  admitted  on  his  arrival  at 
the  factory. 

How  dismal  it  now  looked,  with  its  furnaces  extinguished, 
its  rails  rusted,  its  dusty  cranes  extending  their  gaunt  arms 
in  the  air,  like  so  many  gallows.  All  this  struck  a  chill  to 
the  heart,  and  Max  felt  that  some  diversion  to  their  ideas 
would  be  pleasant. 

"  Here  is  a  workshop  which  will  interest  you  more,"  he 
observed,  leading  the  way  to  the  canteen. 

Otto  followed  obediently,  and  showed  unmistakable 
signs  of  satisfaction  as  he  caught  sight  of  a  whole  regiment 
of  red,  yellow,  and  green  bottles,  drawn  up  in  order  of 
battle  on  a  wooden  shelf.  Several  boxes  of  preserved 
meats  and  other  good  things  were  also  there ;  more  than 
enough  to  furnish  them  with  a  substantial  breakfast,  the 
want  of  which  they  began  to  feel,  so,  having  spread 
the  food  on  the  counter,  the  two  young  men  fell  to. 

Whilst  eating,  Max  considered  what  was  next  to  be 
done.  There  was  no  use  in  even  thinking  of  scaling  the 
wall  of  the  Central  Block,  as  it  was  prodigiously  high, 
isolated  from  all  the  other  buildings,  and  without  a  projec 
tion  on  which  to  fasten  a  rope.  To  find  the  door — of 
which  there  was  probably  only  one — it  would  be  necessary 
to  go  through  all  the  sections,  anything  but  an  easy  task. 
Dynamite  could  be  used,  though  that  was  dangerous,  for 
it  seemed  impossible  that  Herr  Schultz  should  have 

P 


210  THE   BEGUM'S   FORTUNE. 


disappeared  without  constructing  traps  in  his  deserted 
territory,  or  establishing  counter-mines  to  the  mines  which 
those  who  wished  to  take  possession  of  Stahlstadt  would 
not  fail  to  form.  But  no  fear  of  this  could  deter  Max. 

Seeing  that  Otto  was  now  refreshed  and  rested,  Max 
went  with  him  to  the  end  of  the  road  which  formed  the 
axis  of  the  section,  up  to  the  foot  of  the  huge  freestone 
wall. 

"  What  say  you  to  attempting  a  blast  here  ? "  he  asked. 
"  Shall  we  pierce  the  wall  and  lay  a  train  of  dynamite  ? " 

"  It  will  be  hard  work,  but  we  are  not  afraid  of  that ! " 
replied  Otto,  ready  to  attempt  anything. 

They  first  had  to  lay  bare  the  foot  of  the  wall,  then 
introduce  a  lever  between  two  stones,  loosen  one,  and 
finally,  with  a  drill,  pierce  several  little  parallel  trenches. 
By  ten  o'clock  all  was  prepared,  the  dynamite  in  its  place» 
and  the  match  lighted. 

Max  knew  that  it  would  burn  for  five  minutes,  and  as  he 
had  noticed  that  the  canteen  was  underground,  and  was  a 
regular  stone-vaulted  cellar,  he  took  refuge  there  with 
Otto. 

Suddenly  every  building,  and  even  the  cellar,  were 
shaken  as  if  by  an  earthquake.  Then,  almost  immediately, 
a  tremendous  roar,  resembling  the  sound  of  three  or  four 
batteries  thundering  at  once,  rent  the  air. 

In  two  or  three  seconds  a  perfect  avalanche  of  stones 


Forcing  an  entrance. 


Page  210. 


A  BRACE  OF  FRENCHMEN   CAPTURE  A  TOWN.      211 

and  debris  showered  down  far  and  wide.  Then  began  an 
uproar  of  breaking  roofs,  crashing  beams,  falling  walls, 
mingled  with  the  sound  of  a  cascade  of  broken  glass. 

When  the  frightful  din  had  ceased,  Max  and  Otto 
ventured  forth  from  their  retreat. 

Accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  terrific  effects  of  an 
explosion,  Max  was  perfectly  astonished  at  the  results  of 
this  one.  Half  of  the  section  had  been  blown  up,  and  the 
dismantled  walls  of  all  the  neighbouring  workshops  re 
sembled  those  of  a  bombarded  town.  On  all  sides  the 
ground  was  strewed  with  heaps  of  rubbish,  and  pieces  of 
glass  and  plaster,  whilst  clouds  of  dust  settling  down,  fell 
like  snow  on  the  ruins. 

Otto  and  Max  hastened  to  the  inner  wall. 

From  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  of  it  had  been  thrown  down, 
and  on  the  other  side  of  the  breach,  the  ex-draughtsman 
of  the  Central  Block  could  see  the  well-known  hall,  where 
he  had  passed  so  many  monotonous  hours. 

As  the  place  was  no  longer  guarded,  it  was  soon  entered. 

Still  the  same  silence  everywhere. 

Max  passed  in  review  the  studios,  where  formerly  his 
comrades  admired  his  diagrams.  In  one  corner  he  dis 
covered  the  very  half-sketched  drawing  of  a  steam-engine 
on  which  he  had  been  engaged  when  Herr  Schultz 
summoned  him  to  the  park.  In  the  reading-room  lay  the 
papers  and  familiar  books. 

P  2 


212  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

Everything  bore  the  look  of  business  suspended,  of  a 
sudden  interruption  to  work. 

The  two  friends  had  now  reached  the  inner  limits  of  the 
Central  Block  and  stood  before  the  wall,  which  Max 
believed  divided  them  from  the  park. 

"  Are  we  to  make  this  fellow  dance  too  ?  "  asked  Otto. 

"Perhaps;  but  first  we  can  look  for  a  door,  which  a 
simple  fusee  could  send  flying." 

They  proceeded,  therefore,  to  skirt  the  wall  around  the 
park,  from  time  to  time  making  a  detour  to  avoid  a 
building  jutting  out  like  a  spur,  or  to  climb  a  fence.  But 
they  never  lost  sight  of  it,  and  were  soon  rewarded  for 
their  trouble,  by  coming  to  a  low,  narrow  door. 

In  two  minutes  Otto  had  bored  a  gimlet  hole  through 
the  oaken  panels,  and  Max,  applying  his  eye  to  the 
opening,  perceived  with  lively  satisfaction  that  on  the  other 
side  lay  the  tropical  park,  with  its  eternal  verdure  and 
summer  temperature. 

"  One  more  door  to  blow  up,  and  we  shall  be  in  the 
place ! "  he  exclaimed  to  his  companion. 

"A  fusee  for  a  piece  of  wood  like  this  would  be  too 
great  an  honour,"  returned  Otto. 

And  as  he  spoke  he  struck  a  heavy  blow  on  the  postern 
with  an  axe  he  carried. 

It  had  not  begun  to  give  way,  however,  when  they  heard 
a  key  turned,  and  two  bolts  slipped  back. 


A  BRACE   OF  FRENCHMEN   CAPTURE  A   TOWN.      213 

The  door  half  opened,  though  held  inside  by  a  thick 
chain. 

"  Wer  da  ? "  (Who  goes  there  ?)  demanded  a  hoarse 
voice. 


2i4  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PARLEY  BEFORE  THE   CITADEL. 

THE  two  young  men  were  little  prepared  for  such  a 
question.  It  astonished  them  more  than  if  they  had  been 
met  by  a  rifle  shot. 

Max  had  had  a  great  many  conjectures  about  this 
mysterious  town,  and  the  very  last  thing  he  had  expected 
was  that  a  living  being  would  quietly  demand  the  reason  of 
his  visit.  His  enterprise,  legitimate  enough,  under  the 
supposition  that  Stahlstadt  was  completely  deserted, 
assumed  quite  another  aspect,  when  the  city  was  found 
still  to  be  inhabited. 

That  which  in  the  one  case  was  but  a  kind  of  archaeolo 
gical  inquiry,  in  the  other  became  an  attack  by  force  of 
arms,  and  bore  the  character  of  a  burglary. 

These  reflections  rushed  in  upon  the  mind  of  Max  with 
such  force  that  he  stood  as  if  struck  dumb. 


PARLEY  BEFORE  THE  CITADEL.  21$ 

"  Who  goes  there  ?"  repeated  the  voice,  impatiently. 

There  was  certainly  some  reason  for  impatience.  For 
intruders  to  have  reached  this  door  by  overcoming  so  many 
obstacles,  scaling  walls,  and  blowing  up  half  the  town,  and 
then  to  have  nothing  to  say  on  being  simply  asked,  "  Who 
goes  there  ?"  was  somewhat  astonishing. 

In  half  a  minute  Max  became  aware  of  the  awkwardness 
of  his  position,  and  he  replied  in  German — 

"  Friend  or  enemy,  whichever  you  like  !  I  wish  to  speak 
to  Herr  Schultz." 

Directly  he  uttered  these  words  an  exclamation  was 
heard  from  the  other  side  of  the  door — 

"Ach!" 

And  through  the  opening  Max  could  discern  a  red 
whisker,  half  a  bristly  moustache,  and  a  dull  eye,  which  he 
immediately  recognised  as  belonging  to  Sigimer,  one  of 
the  uncouth  beings  who  had  been  ordered  by  Schultz  to 
guard  him. 

"Johann  Schwartz!"  exclaimed  the  giant,  with  a  sort 
of  stupid  joy,  "  Johann  Schwartz  !" 

The  unexpected  return  of  his  prisoner  seemed  to  astonish 
him  as  much  as  his  mysterious  disappearance  must  have 
done. 

"  Can  I  speak  to  Herr  Schultz  ?"  repeated  Max,  finding 
that  this  exclamation  was  the  only  answer  he  received. 

Sigimer  shook  his  head. 


2i6  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"No  order! "he  said.  "Can't  come  in  here  without  an 
order ! " 

"  At  least  you  can  tell  Herr  Schultz  that  I  am  here,  and 
want  to  see  him." 

"  Herr  Schultz  not  here !  Herr  Schultz  gone  ! "  replied 
the  giant,  with  a  shade  of  sadness  in  his  tone. 

"  But  where  is  he  ?     When  will  he  be  back  ? " 

"  Don't  know  !  Instructions  remain  as  before  !  No  one 
can  enter  without  an  order !" 

These  disjointed  sentences  were  all  that  Max  could  get 
from  Sigimer,  who  to  any  other  questions  maintained  a 
dogged  and  obstinate  silence. 

Otto  at  last  became  impatient. 

"Where's  the  use  of  asking  permission  to  enter?"  said 
he.  "  It  is  much  easier  to  take  it !" 

And  he  shoved  against  the  door  to  try  and  force  it  open. 
It  was  held  by  the  chain,  however,  and  a  more  powerful 
arm  than  his  soon  shut  it,  and  rapidly  drew  the  bolts. 

"  There  must  be  several  men  behind  there  ! "  cried  Otto, 
rather  humiliated  at  this  result. 

He  applied  his  eye  to  the  gimlet-hole,  and  uttered  a  cry 
of  surprise. 

"  There's  a  second  giant ! " 

"  Arminius,  no  doubt,"  returned  Max,  in  his  turn  putting 
his  eye  to  the  hole. 

"Yes!     It  is  Arminius,  Sigimer's  companion." 


PARLEY  BEFORE  THE  CITADEL.  2 1/ 

As  he  spoke,  another  voice,  apparently  from  the  sky, 
caused  Max  to  raise  his  head. 

"Wer  da?"  it  said. 

This  time  it  was  Arminius  who  spoke,  looking  over  the 
top  of  the  wall,  which  he  had  reached  by  means  of  a 
ladder. 

"Come,  you  know  well  enough  who  it  is,  Arminius!" 
returned  Max.  "  Will  you  open,  yes  or  no  ? " 

These  words  had  scarcely  left  his  lips  when  the  muzzle 
of  a  gun  was  pointed  over  the  wall,  and  a  bullet  just  grazed 
the  brim  of  Otto's  hat. 

"  Very  well,  here's  an  answer  for  that ! "  exclaimed  Max, 
who,  placing  some  dynamite  under  the  door,  blew  it  into 
fragments. 

A  breach  being  thus  made,  Otto  and  Max,  their  guns  in 
their  hands,  and  their  knives  between  their  teeth,  sprang 
into  the  park. 

The  ladder  still  leant  against  the  now  tottering  wall,  and 
at  its  foot  were  traces  of  blood,  but  neither  Arminius 
nor  Sigimer  were  there  to  bar  the  progress  of  the 
adventurers. 

The  gardens  lay  before  them  in  all  the  richness  of  their 
vegetation. 

Otto  was  delighted. 

"  What  a  magnificent  place ! "  he  said  ;  "  but  look  out ! 
We  had  better  proceed  like  sharpshooters !  These  sour- 


218  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

krout-eaters  are  most  likely  watching  for  us — hiding 
behind  the  bushes  !" 

Max  and  Otto  separated,  and  each  taking  one  side 
of  the  walk  which  opened  before  them,  they  advanced 
cautiously  from  tree  to  tree,  from  mound  to  mound,  after 
the  most  approved  principles  of  strategy. 

This  was  a  wise  precaution.  They  had  not  gone  a 
hundred  yards  when  a  second  shot  was  heard,  and  the 
bark  of  the  tree  Max  had  just  quitted  flew  in  splinters. 

"This  is  serious!  Down  on  the  ground!"  ejaculated 
Otto. 

And,  adding  example  to  precept,  he  crawled  on  hands 
and  knees  up  to  a  thorny  thicket  bordering  the  square,  in 
the  centre  of  which  rose  the  Bull  Tower. 

Max,  not  following  this  advice  quickly  enough,  narrowly 
escaped  another  bullet,  and  only  avoided  a  fourth  by 
darting  behind  the  trunk  of  a  palm-tree. 

"Fortunately  these  fellows  shoot  no  better  than  raw 
recruits !"  called  out  Otto  to  his  friend. 

"Hush!"  returned  Max.  "Don't  you  see  the  smoke 
hanging  about  that  window  on  the  ground-floor  ?  The 
villains  are  in  ambush  there !  But  I  mean  to  play  them  a 
trick  in  my  turn  ! " 

In  a  trice,  Max  had  cut  a  good-sized  stick  from  the 
shrubbery,  on  which  he  hung  his  coat,  placing  his  hat  on 
the  top.  Having  thus  improvised  a  very  presentable 


Danger  around. 


Page  218. 


Max  and  Otto  fighting  the  giants. 


Page  219. 


PARLEY  BEFORE   THE  CITADEL.  219 

dummy,  he  stuck  it  in  the  ground,  so  that  the  hat  and 
sleeves  alone  were  visible,  then,  gliding  up  to  Otto,  he 
whispered  in  his  ear — 

"Just  keep  them  amused  by  firing  at  the  window,  first 
from  your  place  and  then  from  mine !  I'm  off  to  take 
them  in  the  rear  !" 

And  Max,  leaving  Otto  to  skirmish,  crept  cautiously 
away  through  the  bushes. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  passed,  whilst  about  twenty  shots 
were  exchanged  without  result  on  either  side,  though 
Max's  coat  and  hat  were  completely  riddled  with  bullets. 
As  to  the  window-blinds,  Otto's  gun  had  sent  them  into 
shivers. 

Suddenly  the  firing  ceased,  and  Otto  distinctly  heard  a 
stifled  cry  of — 

"  Help  !  help  !     I've  got  him  ! " 

To  leave  his  shelter,  fly  through  the  shrubbery,  and 
spring  in  at  the  window,  took  Otto  but  a  moment. 

Struggling  desperately  on  the  floor,  entwined  like  two 
serpents,  were  Max  and  Sigimer.  Surprised  by  the  sudden 
attack  of  his  adversary,  who  had  forced  an  inner  door,  the 
giant  had  been  unable  to  use  his  weapons.  But  his 
herculean  strength  rendered  him  a  formidable  enemy,  and 
although  thrown  to  the  ground,  he  had  not  lost  hope  of 
gaining  the  upper  hand.  Max,  on  his  side,  displayed 
remarkable  vigour  and  agility. 


220  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

The  fight  would  certainly  have  terminated  in  the  death 
of  one  of  the  combatants,  had  not  Otto's  intervention  made 
a  less  tragic  end  possible.  The  two  together  soon  disarmed 
Sigimer,  and  bound  him  so  that  he  could  move  neither 
hand  nor  foot. 

"  Where's  the  other  fellow  ?"  asked  Otto. 

Max  pointed  to  the  further  end  of  the  room,  where 
Arminius  lay  bleeding  on  a  bench. 

"  Has  he  been  shot  ?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  replied  Otto. 

Together  they  examined  the  body. 

'Quite  dead  !"  said  Max. 

'If  so  the  rascal  might  have  died  in  a  better  cause!" 
exclaimed  Otto. 

"  Here  we  are,  masters  of  the  place!  "said  Max.  "So 
now  to  serious  business.  Let  us  first  explore  the  study  of 
the  great  Herr  Schultz  !" 

From  the  room,  in  which  the  last  act  of  the  siege  had 
been  performed,  the  two  young  men  proceeded  through 
the  suite  of  apartments  which  led  to  the  sanctum  of  the 
King  of  Steel. 

Otto  was  lost  in  admiration  at  the  sight  of  such 
splendour. 

Max  smiled  as  he  looked  round  at  him,  and  opened,  one 
after  the  other,  the  doors  of  the  magnificent  rooms,  till 
they  reached  the  green-and-gold  apartment. 


PARLEY  BEFORE   THE   CITADEL.  221 

He  had  expected  to  find  something  new,  but  nothing  so 
strange  as  the  spectacle  which  here  lay  before  their  eyes. 
It  looked  just  as  if  the  General  Post-Office  of  New  York 
or  Paris  had  been  robbed  and  its  contents  thrown  pell-mell 
on  the  floor.  On  every  side  were  heaps  of  letters  and 
sealed  packets,  on  the  writing-table,  on  the  chairs,  on 
the  carpet.  They  waded  knee-deep  in  a  flood  of  papers. 
All  the  financial,  industrial,  and  personal  correspondence 
of  Herr  Schultz,  brought  to  the  letter-box  in  the  park  wall, 
and  faithfully  carried  in  by  Arminius  and  Sigimer,  had 
here  accumulated  in  their  master's  study. 

How  many  questions,  what  expectations,  what  anxious 
suspense,  what  misery  and  tears  were  enclosed  in  those 
voiceless  envelopes  addressed  to  Herr  Schultz !  What 
millions  of  money,  too,  no  doubt,  in  paper,  cheques,  bills, 
and  orders  of  all  sorts  ! 

Everything  rested  here  motionless  through  the  absence 
of  the  only  hand  which  had  a  right  to  break  these  fragile, 
but  inviolable  seals. 

"  We  have  now,"  said  Max,  "  to  discover  the  secret  door 
of  the  laboratory !" 

He  began  by  taking  all  the  books  out  of  the  bookcase. 
This  was  useless  ;  he  could  not  find  the  masked  passage  he 
had  traversed  in  company  with  Herr  Schultz. 

In  vain  he  shook  the  panels  one  by  one,  and,  with  an 
iron  rod,  which  he  took  from  the  mantelpiece,  tapped 


222  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

them  in  succession  !  In  vain  he  struck  the  wall  in  the 
hope  of  hearing  it  give  forth  a  hollow  sound !  It  was 
very  evident  that  Schultz,  uneasy  at  no  longer  being  the 
sole  possessor  of  his  secret,  had  done  away  with  that 
door. 

He  must  necessarily  have  opened  another. 

"  But  where  ?"  asked  Max.  "  It  must  be  here  somewhere, 
as  Arminius  and  Sigimer  have  brought  the  letters  to  this 
room,  which  Herr  Schultz  doubtless  continued  to  use  after 
my  departure.  I  know  enough  of  his  habits  to  be  sure 
that,  after  bricking  up  the  old  passage,  he  would  wish  to 
have  another  close  at  hand,  and  concealed  from  inquisitive 
eyes  !  Can  there  be  a  trap-door  under  the  carpet  ? " 

The  carpet  itself  showed  no  signs  of  a  cut ;  but  none  the 
less  was  it  unnailed  and  raised.  The  floor,  examined  bit 
by  bit,  showed  nothing  suspicious. 

"  How  do  you  know  the  opening  is  in  this  room  at  all  ?" 
asked  Otto. 

"  I  am  morally  certain  of  it ! "  answered  Max. 

"  Then  the  ceiling  only  remains  to  be  explored,"  returned 
Otto,  springing  on  to  a  chair. 

His  idea  was  to  get  up  to  the  lustre  and  sound  the 
central  rose  with  the  butt  end  of  his  gun. 

However,  no  sooner  had  he  grasped  the  gilded  chan 
delier,  than,  to  his  extreme  surprise,  it  sunk  under  his 
hand.  The  ceiling  opened  and  left  to  view  a  wide  gap, 


The  mysterious  entrance. 


Page  222. 


PARLEY  BEFORE  THE  CITADEL.  223 

from  which  a  light,  self-acting  steel  ladder  slid  down  level 
with  the  floor. 

It  was  a  distinct  invitation  to  ascend. 

"Here  we  are!  Come  along!"  said  Max,  composedly, 
and  immediately  began  to  mount  the  ladder,  closely 
followed  by  his  friend. 


224  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  KERNEL  OF   THE   NUT. 

THE  top  of  the  steel  ladder  was  fixed  close  to  the  wall  of  a 
vast  circular  chamber,  there  being  no  communication  with 
the  exterior.  It  would  have  been  in  complete  darkness 
had  it  not  been  for  a  dazzling  white  light  which  streamed 
through  the  thick  glass  of  a  bull's-eye,  fixed  in  the  centre  of 
the  oak  floor.  For  purity  and  brilliancy  it  might  be 
compared  to  the  moon,  when  she  is  in  her  full  beauty. 

Perfect  silence  reigned  within  these  mute  and  eyeless 
walls.  The  two  young  men  imagined  themselves  in  the 
antechamber  of  a  tomb. 

But  before  bending  over  the  glass,  Max  hesitated  for  a 
moment.  He  had  attained  his  object !  The  secret,  to 
penetrate  which  he  had  come  to  Stahlstadt,  was  about 
to  be  revealed  to  him  ! 

This  feeling,  however,  soon  passed  off.     Together  he  and 


Herr  Schultz  discovered. 


Piige  225. 


THE   KERNEL  OF  THE  NUT.  225 

Otto  knelt  beside  the  disc  and  looked  down  into  the 
chamber  beneath. 

A  horrible  and  unexpected  sight  met  their  astonished 
gaze. 

The  glass  disc,  being  convex  on  both  sides,  formed  a 
lens,  which  immensely  increased  in  size  all  objects  seen 
through  it. 

Here  was  the  secret  laboratory  of  Herr  Schultz.  The 
intense  glare  which  shone  through  the  disc,  as  if  from  the 
lantern  of  a  lighthouse,  came  from  a  double  electric  lamp, 
still  burning  in  its  airless  bell,  being  incessantly  fed  by  a 
powerful  voltaic  pile. 

In  the  middle  of  the  room,  motionless  as  marble,  and 
enormously  magnified  by  the  refraction  of  the  lens,  a  human 
form  was  seated. 

Pieces  and  splinters  of  shells  were  strewn  on  the  ground 
around  this  spectre. 

There  was  no  doubt  about  it!  It  was  Herr  Schultz 
himself,  recognisable  by  his  horrid  grinning  mouth,  and  his 
gleaming  teeth  ;  but  a  gigantic  Herr  Schultz,  suffocated 
and  frozen  by  the  action  of  a  terrible  cold,  caused  by  the 
explosion  of  one  of  his  frightful  engines  of  warfare. 

The  King  of  Steel  was  seated  at  his  table,  holding  an 
enormous  pen  like  a  lance  in  his  hand,  as  if  he  were 
writing.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  stony  glare  of  his  dilated 
eyeballs,  and  his  set  mouth,  he  would  have  appeared  still 

Q 


226  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

living.  Here  this  awful  corpse  had  been  for  a  month, 
hidden  from  all  eyes,  and  now  discovered  like  a  mammoth 
which  has  been  concealed  for  ages  in  the  glaciers  of 
the  Polar  regions.  Everything  around  him  was  frozen,  the 
re-agents  in  their  jars,  the  water  in  its  receivers,  and 
the  mercury  in  its  reservoirs  ! 

In  spite  of  the  horror  of  this  spectacle,  Max's  first 
thought  was  one  of  satisfaction  that  they  had  been 
fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  observe  the  interior  of  the 
laboratory  from  the  outside,  for  if  he  and  Otto  had  entered 
they  must  infallibly  have  been  struck  dead. 

Max  soon  guessed  how  the  fearful  accident  had  occurred, 
when  he  marked  that  the  fragments  scattered  on  the  ground 
were  small  pieces  of  glass.  He  knew  that  the  inner  case  of 
Herr  Schultz's  suffocating  projectiles  contained  liquid 
carbonic  acid,  and  that,  to  resist  the  enormous  pressure,  it 
was  formed  of  tempered  glass,  which  has  ten  or  twelve 
times  the  ordinary  strength  ;  the  great  fault  of  this  newly- 
invented  production,  however,  is  that,  by  some  mysterious 
action,  it  often  suddenly  bursts  without  any  apparent  reason. 
This  was  evidently  what  had  happened.  Perhaps  the 
interior  pressure  had  helped  to  provoke  the  explosion  of 
the  shell  deposited  in  the  laboratory ;  at  any  rate,  the 
discharged  acid,  on  returning  to  a  gaseous  state,  had 
occasioned  a  fearful  lowering  of  the  surrounding  atmosphere, 
even  to  a  hundred  degrees  below  zero. 


THE  KERNEL  OF  THE  NUT.  22/ 

The  effects  had  indeed  been  something  awful.  Death 
had  surprised  Herr  Schultz  in  the  attitude  he  was  in  at 
the  time  of  the  explosion,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  turned 
into  ice. 

One  circumstance  which  Max  particularly  noticed,  was 
that  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  King  of  Steel  was  engaged 
in  writing. 

What  was  inscribed  on  the  sheet  of  paper  lying  beneath 
that  lifeless  hand  ?  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the 
last  thought,  and  read  the  last  words  of  such  a  man. 

The  difficulty  was  to  procure  the  paper.  The  idea  of 
breaking  the  disc  so  as  to  descend  into  the  laboratory  could 
not  be  entertained  for  an  instant.  The  gas  would  have 
immediately  rushed  out  and  suffocated  every  living  being. 
The  risk  of  bringing  a  sudden  death  upon  themselves  could 
not  be  run  merely  for  the  sake  of  satisfying  their  curiosity. 
Max,  therefore,  seeing  that  the  writing  as  well  as  everything 
else  was  so  wonderfully  magnified  and  brilliantly  illumin 
ated,  endeavoured  to  read  it  from  a  distance.  Being  well 
acquainted  with  the  handwriting  of  Herr  Schultz,  with  a 
little  trouble  he  at  last  made  out  the  following  lines. 

According  to  the  usual  custom  of  Herr  Schultz,  it  was 
rather  an  order  than  an  instruction. 

"  Order  to  B.  K.  R.  Z.  to  advance  the  projected  expedi 
tion  against  Frankville  by  a  fortnight.  As  soon  as  this 
order  is  received  execute  the  measures  I  have  devised ; 

Q  2 


228  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

they  must  this  time  be  overwhelming  and  complete.  Do 
not  alter  an  iota  of  what  I  have  decided  upon.  I  wish  that 
in  a  fortnight  Frankville  should  become  a  city  of  the  dead 
without  a  surviving  inhabitant.  I  hope  for  a  modern 
Pompeii,  to  be  at  once  a  terror  and  an  astonishment  to  the 
whole  world.  If  my  orders  are  properly  executed,  this 
result  will  be  inevitable. 

"  You  will  send  the  bodies  of  Doctor  Sarrasin  and  Max 
Bruckmann  to  me.  I  wish  to  have  them. 

«  Schult ." 

The  signature  was  unfinished,  the  final  z  and  the  usual 
flourish  being  wanting. 

Max  and  Otto  gazed  mute  and  motionless  at  this  strange 
spectacle,  feeling  as  if  they  were  witnessing  the  invocation 
of  some  malignant  genius. 

But  it  was  time  to  leave  the  dismal  scene,  and  the  two 
friends,  agitated  by  conflicting  feelings,  descended  from  the 
room  above  the  laboratory. 

There,  in  that  dark  tomb,  for,  when  the  electric  current 
failed,  the  lamp  would  be  extinguished,  the  corpse  of  the 
King  of  Steel  would  remain  alone,  dried  up  like  a  mummy 
Pharaoh,  whom  twenty  centuries  had  not  reduced  to  dust ! 

An  hour  later,  having  unbound  Sigimer,  who  seemed 
puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  with  his  liberty,  Otto  and  Max 
quitted  Stahlstadt,  and  took  their  way  back  to  Frankville, 
which  they  entered  the  same  evening. 


THE  KERNEL  OF  THE  NUT.  229 

Doctor  Sarrasin  was  busy  in  his  study  when  the  return 
of  the  two  young  men  was  announced  to  him. 

"Tell  them  to  come  in!"  he  exclaimed.  "Come  in 
quickly!" 

"  Well  ?"  said  he,  as  soon  as  the  friends  presented  them 
selves  before  him. 

"  Doctor,"  replied  Max,  "  the  news  we  bring  from  Stahl- 
stadt  will  put  your  mind  at  rest  for  a  long  time.  Herr 
Schultz  is  no  more !  Herr  Schultz  is  dead  ! " 

"  Dead  ! "  exclaimed  Doctor  Sarrasin. 

The  good  man  remained  thoughtful  for  a  few  moments, 
without  uttering  another  word. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  said  at  last,  "  can  you  understand 
that  this  news,  which  ought  to  make  me  rejoice,  since  it 
takes  from  us  the  dread  of  the  thing  I  most  execrate,  war, 
and  the  most  unjust,  unreasonable  war  ever  heard  of! — can 
you  understand  how,  against  all  reason,  it  makes  my  heart 
ache  ?  Oh,  why  should  a  man  of  such  powerful  intelligence 
have  constituted  himself  our  enemy  ?  Why  did  he  not  use 
his  rare  intellectual  qualities  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow 
creatures  ?  How  much  wisdom  has  been  lost,  which  would 
have  been  so  valuable,  had  it  been  associated  with  us,  and 
used  for  a  common  object !  All  this  at  once  struck  me 
when  you  said :  *  Herr  Schultz  is  dead ;'  but  now  tell 
me  all  that  you  know  of  this  unexpected  event." 

"  Herr  Schultz,"  replied  Max,  "  has  met  his  death  in  the 


230  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

mysterious  laboratory,  which,  with  such  diabolical  ingenuity, 
he  had  striven  to  render  inaccessible  to  <  all  others.  No  one  ' 
but  himself  ever  knew  of  its  existence,  and  no  one  con 
sequently  could  penetrate  into  it  to  bring  him  help.  He 
has  fallen  a  victim  to  that  marvellous  concentration  of  all 
his  plans  in  his  own  hands,  on  which  he  had  so  erroneously 
relied.  By  the  will  of  Providence,  his  desire  of  being 
himself  the  key  to  all  his  projects,  has  been  turned  to  his 
own  destruction ! " 

"  It  could  not  have  been  otherwise  ! "  answered  Doctor 
Sarrasin.  "  Herr  Schultz  started  with  a  totally  wrong 
notion.  For,  indeed,  is  not  the  best  government  the  one  of 
which  the  chief,  on  his  death,  can  be  most  easily  replaced, 
and  which  will  continue  to  work  smoothly,  just  because  all 
the  machinery  is  open  and  visible  ? " 

"You  will  see,  doctor,"  said  Max,  "how  all  that  has 
happened  in  Stahlstadt  bears  out  what  you  have  said.  We 
found  Herr  Schultz  seated  before  his  desk,  that  central 
point  whence  came  all  those  orders  so  implicitly  obeyed  by 
the  Steel  City,  and  which  no  one  ever  dreamt  of  disputing. 
Death  had  left  him  every  appearance  of  life,  so  that  for  a 
moment  I  thought  the  spectre  would  have  spoken  to  us ! 
But  the  inventor  has  fallen  by  his  own  invention  !  He  was 
killed  by  one  of  the  shells,  with  which  he  hoped  to  destroy 
our  town,  just  as  he  was  signing  his  name  to  the  order 
for  our  extermination  !  Listen  !" 


THE  KERNEL  OF   THE  NUT.  231 

And  Max  read  aloud  a  copy  he  had  taken  of  the  horrible 
words  written  by  Herr  Schultz. 

Then  he  added — 

"  The  greatest  proof  of  the  death  of  Herr  Schultz,  even 
if  we  had  not  seen  him,  is  that  everything  around  him  has 
ceased  to  live.  There  is  nothing  breathing  in  Stahlstadt. 
As  in  the  palace  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty,  slumber  has 
suspended  all  life,  and  arrested  every  movement.  The 
effects  of  the  master's  death  hatf^extended,  not  only  to  the 
servants,  but  also  to  the  machinery." 

"Yes,"  returned  Doctor  Sarrasin ;  "we  see  in  this  the 
justice  of  God !  From  indulging  in  his  hatred  against  us, 
and  urging  on  his  attack  with  such  boundless  rancour,  Herr 
Schultz  has  perished." 

"  That  is  true,"  answered  Max ;  "  but  now,  doctor,  let  us 
leave  the  past  and  think  only  of  the  present.  Although 
the  death  of  Herr  Schultz  gives  peace  to  us,  it  causes  the 
ruin  of  the  wonderful  business  he  created.  Blinded  by  his 
success,  and  his  hatred  of  France  and  you,  he  had  supplied 
large  numbers  of  cannon  and  weapons  to  any  one  who 
might  be  our  enemy,  without  getting  sufficient  guarantees. 
In  spite  of  this,  and  although  the  payment  of  all  his  debts 
would  take  a  long  time,  I  believe  that  a  strong  hand  could 
set  Stahlstadt  on  its  legs  again,  and  turn  to  a  good  purpose 
all  that  has  been  hitherto  used  for  an  evil  one.  Herr 
Schultz  has  only  one  likely  heir,  doctor,  and  that  is  you. 


232  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

His  work  must  not  be  allowed  to  fall  to  the  ground  entirely. 
It  is  too  much  the  belief  of  this  world  that  the  only  profit 
to  be  drawn  from  a  rival  force  is  in  its  total  annihilation. 
This  is  not  really  the  case,  and  I  hope  you  will  agree  with 
me  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  our  duty  to  endeavour  to  save 
from  this  immense  wreck  all  that  can  be  used  for  the  benefit 
of  humanity.  Now,  I  am  ready  to  devote  myself  entirely 
to  this  task." 

"  Max  is  right,"  said  Otto,  grasping  his  friend's  hand, 
"and  here  am  I,  ready  also  to  work  under  his  orders,  if 
my  father  will  give  his  consent." 

"I  certainly  approve,  my  dear  lads,"  replied  Doctor 
Sarrasin.  "  Yes,  Max,  there  will  be  no  want  of  capital,  and, 
thanks  to  you,  I  shall  hope  to  have  in  the  resuscitated 
Stahlstadt  such  an  arsenal  that  no  one  in  the  world  will 
ever  henceforth  dream  of  attacking  us !  And  as  we  shall 
then  be  the  strongest,  we  must  at  the  same  time  endeavour 
to  be  also  the  most  just,  we  must  spread  the  benefits  of 
peace  and  justice  all  around.  Ah,  Max  !  what  enchanting 
dreams !  And  when  I  feel  that,  with  you  to  help  me,  I  can 
at  least  accomplish  a  part,  I  ask  myself  why — yes,  why 
have  I  not  two  sons  !  Why  are  you  not  the  brother  of 
Otto !  We  three  working  together,  it  seems  as  if  nothing 
could  be  impossible !" 


A  FAMILY  AFFAIR.  233 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A  FAMILY  AFFAIR. 

PERHAPS  in  the  course  of  this  veracious  narrative  we  have 
not  been  sufficiently  communicative  about  the  personal 
history  of  those  who  have  played  such  prominent  parts  in 
it.  We  may  now,  therefore,  be  allowed  to  stop  in  order  to 
give  a  few  details  regarding  them. 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  good  doctor  was  not 
so  entirely  taken  up  with  the  idea  of  collective  humanity, 
as  to  merge  in  it  the  welfare  of  individuals.  He  had,  there 
fore,  been  struck  by  the  sudden  pallor  which  overspread 
the  countenance  of  Max  as  he  uttered  his  last  words.  He 
sought  to  read  in  the '  young  man's  eyes  the  cause  of  this 
sudden  emotion.  The  silence  of  the  older  man  seemed 
to  question  the  engineer,  as  if  he  expected  him  to 
speak,  but  Max,  mastering  himself  with  a  strong  effort, 
immediately  resumed  his  composure.  His  complexion 
reassumed  its  natural  tint,  and  his  attitude  was  merely 


234  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

that  of  a  man  who  expects  the  continuance  of  an  interesting 
conversation. 

Doctor  Sarrasin,  slightly  provoked  at  this  evidently 
assumed  calmness,  approached  his  young  friend,  and  with 
a  familiar  gesture,  laid  his  hand  upon  his  wrist,  just  as  he 
would  on  that  of  a  patient,  whose  pulse  he  wished  quietly, 
unobtrusively  to  feel. 

Max  allowed  this  naturally  without  apparently  noticing 
the  doctor's  intentions,  and  as  he  did  not  open  his 
lips — 

"  My  dear  Max,"  observed  the  old  man,  "  we  will  put  off 
our  conversation  about  the  future  destiny  of  Stahlstadt  to 
some  other  time.  For  although  we  are  vowed  to  the  work 
of  labouring  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  mankind,  it  is 
not  forbidden  us  also  to  occupy  ourselves  with  the  fate  of 
those  we  love,  of  those  who  are  nearest  to  us.  Well,  I 
think  the  time  has  come  to  tell  you  what  a  young  lady, 
whose  name  I  will  mention  presently,  replied  not  long  ago 
to  her  father  and  mother,  when  for  the  twentieth  time  that 
year  they  had  been  asked  for  her  in  marriage. 

"  The  proposals  were,  for  the  most  part,  such  that  even 
the  most  fastidious  could  have  had  no  reason  for  refusing 
them,  and  yet  this  young  woman  always  said  *  No ! ' 

At  this  point  Max  drew  his  hand  away  with  a  sudden 
movement  from  the  doctor's  grasp,  and  the  latter,  as  if  he 
was  satisfied  on  the  subject  of  his  patient's  health,  and  had 


A  FAMILY  AFFAIR.  235 

not  noticed  that  both  his  arm  and  his  confidence  had  been 
withdrawn,  quietly  continued  his  story. 

"'Well,  now/  said  the  mother,  to  the  young  lady  of 
whom  I  speak,  'just  tell  me  the  reason  of  these  continued 
refusals.  Education,  fortune,  position,  good  looks,  all  are 
there.  Why  this  decided  no,  so  resolute  and  prompt,  to 
requests  which  you  don't  even  take  the  trouble  to  consider 
a  little  ?  You  are  not  usually  so  very  peremptory  ! ' 

"  At  this  the  girl  determined  to  speak  clearly  and  frankly, 
and  thereupon  replied — 

" '  I  say  no  with  as  much  sincerity  as  I  would  say  yes, 
dear  mother,  if  the  yes  came  really  from  my  heart.  I  agree 
with  you  that  several  of  the  matches  you  have  proposed  to 
me  are  perfectly  unexceptionable  ;  but,  besides  my  belief 
that  most  of  those  addresses  were  paid  more  to  what  is 
considered  the  best,  that  is  the  richest  match  in  the  town, 
than  to  me  myself,  and  that  that  idea  does  not  incline  me 
to  say  yes,  I  will  venture  to  tell  you,  since  you  wish  it,  that 
none  of  these  proposals  is  the  one  I  hope  for,  the  one 
that  I  still  expect,  and  which,  unfortunately,  I  may  have  to 
wait  a  long  time  for,  if  it  ever  comes  at  all !' 

"'What,  my  dear,'  said  the  mother,  in  surprise, 
'  you ' 

"She  did  not  end  that  sentence,  for  want  of  knowing 
how  to  finish  it,  and  in  perplexity  turned  to  her  husband, 
with  looks  which  plainly  begged  for  help  and  advice. 


236  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 

"  However,  as  he  did  not  intend  to  interfere  in  the 
discussion  between  the  mother  and  daughter  until  a  little 
more  light  had  been  thrown  on  the  subject,  he  put  on  an 
obtuse  air,  and  counterfeited  so  well  that  the  poor  girl, 
blushing  with  embarrassment,  and  perhaps  with  a  little 
anger,  suddenly  determined  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it. 

" '  I  said,  dear  mother,'  she  continued,  '  that  the  proposal 
I  hoped  for  might  be  a  very  long  time  in  coming,  and 
might  possibly  never  come  at  all.  I  add  that  this  delay, 
although  so  indefinite,  will  neither  hurt  nor  astonish  me. 
I  have  the  misfortune  to  be  very  rich ;  he,  whose  proposal  I 
hope  for,  is  very  poor ;  therefore,  he  will  not  make  it,  and 
he  is  right.  It  is  for  him  to  wait ' 

"'Why  not  for  us  to  speak/  said  the  mother,  wishing, 
perhaps,  to  prevent  her  daughter  from  uttering  words  she 
feared  to  hear. 

"  Then  the  husband  interposed. 

" '  My  dear,'  he  said,  affectionately,  taking  his  wife's  hands 
in  his,  '  it  is  not  with  impunity  that  a  mother,  reverenced 
by  her  daughter  as  you  are,  can  constantly  in  her  presence 
sing  the  praises  of  a  fine,  handsome  fellow,  who,  ever  since 
she  was  born,  has  been  almost  one  of  the  family,  that  she 
remarks  to  every  one  on  the  solidity  of  his  character,  that 
she  glories  in  what  her  husband  says,  when  he  has  occasion 
in  his  turn  to  boast  of  his  remarkable  intelligence,  or  speaks 
feelingly  of  the  thousand  proofs  of  devotion  he  has  received 


A  FAMILY  AFFAIR.  237 


from  him  !  If  the  girl  who  saw  this  young  man,  distin 
guished  both  by  her  father  and  her  mother,  had  not 
admired  him  herself,  she  would  have  failed  in  her  duty  ! ' 

" '  Oh,  father ! '  cried  the  girl,  throwing  herself  into  her 
mother's  arms,  to  hide  her  confusion,  *  if  you  guessed,  why 
did  you  make  me  speak  !' 

"  ( Why  ?'  returned  the  father,  'why,  but  to  have  the  joy 
of  hearing  you,  my  darling,  that  I  might  be  still  more 
certain  that  I  was  not  mistaken,  to  be  able  at  last  to  tell 
you  that  both  your  mother  and  I  approve  your  choice,  that 
your  heart  has  been  given  where  we  wished ;  and  to  spare  a 
poor  and  proud  man  from  making  a  proposal,  at  which  he 
feels  a  reluctant  delicacy,  I  will  do  it  myself — yes,  I  will 
do  it,  because  I  have  read  his  heart  as  I  have  read  yours ! 
Calm  yourself  then  !  On  the  first  favourable  opportunity, 
I  will  ask  Max,  if,  by  any  possibility,  he  would  care  to 
become  my  son-in-law  !' " 

Taken  unawares  by  this  sudden  peroration,  Max  had 
started  to  his  feet  as  if  moved  by  a  spring.  Otto  silently 
grasped  his  hand,  while  Doctor  Sarrasin  held  out  his  arms. 
The  young  Alsacian  was  pale  as  death.  But  does  not 
happiness  sometimes  take  this  appearance  when  it  enters 
without  warning  into  a  strong  heart ! 


238  THE  BEGUM'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CONCLUSION. 

FRANKVILLE,  released  from  all  anxiety,  in  peace  with  its 
neighbours,  well  governed,  happy,  thanks  to  the  good 
behaviour  of  its  inhabitants,  is  highly  prosperous.  Its 
success  is  so  justly  merited  that  it  causes  no  envy,  and  its 
strength  enforces  the  respect  even  of  the  most  warlike. 

Under  the  iron  rule  of  Herr  Schultz,  the  City  of  Steel  was 
a  terrible  manufactory,  an  organised  source  of  destruction  ; 
but,  thanks  to  Max  Bruckmann,  the  liquidation  of  its  debts 
was  effected  without  loss  to  any  one,  and  Stahlstadt  became 
a  centre  of  production,  unsurpassed  by  any  other  industry. 

A  year  ago,  Max  became  the  happy  husband  of  Jeannette, 
and  the  birth  of  a  child  has  recently  added  to  their  felicity. 

As  to  Otto,  he  worked  gallantly  under  his  brother-in- 
law's  directions,  and  seconded  all  his  efforts.  His  sister  is 
hoping  soon  to  see  him  married  to  a  friend  of  hers,  whose 
good  sense  will  preserve  her  husband  from  any  relapse. 


CONCLUSION.  239 


The  wishes  of  the  doctor  and  his  wife  are  thus  fulfilled, 
and  to  put  it  in  a  few  words,  they  are  at  the  zenith  of 
happiness  and  even  of  glory — if  glory  ever  entered  into  the 
programme  of  their  honest  ambitions. 

We  may  now  be  assured  that  the  future  belongs  to  the 
efforts  of  Doctor  Sarrasin  and  Max  Bruckmann,  and  that 
the  example  of  Frankville  and  Stahlstadt,  as  model  city 
and  manufactory,  will  not  be  lost  upon  future  generations. 


THE 

MUTINEERS    OF   THE    "BOUNTY." 

CHAPTER  I. 

TURNED  ADRIFT. 

NOT  a  breath  of  wind,  not  a  ripple  on  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky.  The  splendid  constella 
tions  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere  shone  with  exquisite 
brilliancy.  The  Bounty  lay  motionless,  with  drooping 
sails,  as  the  night  wore  on ;  and  the  moon,  turning  pale 
at  the  approach  of  dawn,  rilled  the  air  with  dim  and 
uncertain  light. 

The  Bounty,  a  vessel  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  tons 
burden,  manned  by  a  crew  of  forty-six,  had  left  Spithead 
on  the  2$rd  of  December,  1787,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Bligh,  a  rough,  but  experienced  seaman,  who 
had  accompanied  Captain  Cook  on  his  last  voyage  of 
discovery. 

The  special  object  of  this  voyage  of  the  Bounty  was  to 
obtain  plants  of  the  bread-fruit  tree,  which  grows  in  pro- 

R 


242  THE  MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY.5' 

fusion  in  the  Tahitian  Archipelago,  and  to  carry  them 
to  the  Antilles. 

After  remaining  for  six  months  in  the  Bay  of  Matavai, 
Captain  Bligh,  with  a  cargo  of  a  thousand  bread-fruit  trees, 
set  sail  for  the  West  Indies,  stopping  at  the  Friendly 
Islands  for  a  short  time. 

The  suspicious  and  passionate  character  of  the  captain 
had  repeatedly  occasioned  disagreeable  scenes  between 
him  and  his  officers ;  but,  when  the  sun  rose  on  the 
morning  of  the  28th  of  April,  1789,  the  perfect  tran- 
quility  which  prevailed  on  board  the  Bounty  was  dis 
turbed  by  no  token  of  the  serious  events  about  to 
take  place. 

By-and-by  the  apparent  tranquility  was  broken  by 
unwonted  animation  among  the  crew  :  the  seamen  met, 
exchanged  two  or  three  words  in  whispers,  and  then 
separated  quietly.  What  could  be  going  on  ? 

"  Above  all  things,  make  no  noise,  friends,"  said  Fletcher 
Christian,  the  second  officer  of  the  Bounty.  "  Load  your 
pistol,  Bob  ;  but  do  not  fire  till  I  give  the  word.  Churchill, 
take  a  hatchet  to  burst  open  the  lock  of  the  captain's  cabin 
door,  and,  mark  me,  I  must  have  him  alive." 

Followed  by  a  dozen  seamen,  armed  with  sabres, 
cutlasses,  and  pistols,  Christian  glided  between  decks, 
where  he  placed  two  sentinels  before  the  cabins  of  Stewart 
and  Peter  Heywood,  the  one  the  boatswain,  the  other 


TURNED  ADRIFT.  243 


a  midshipman  of  the  Bounty,  and  then,  passing  on,  he 
stopped  at  the  captain's  door. 

"  Come,  lads !"  he  cried,  "one  good  shove  all  together !" 
The  door  yielded  to  their  vigorous  blows,  and  the  seamen 
rushed  into  the  cabin. 

Confused  by  the  darkness,  and,  perhaps,  reflecting  on 
the  serious  nature  of  the  step  they  had  taken,  they 
hesitated  for  a  moment. 

"Hullo!  What's  the  matter?  Who  dares  -  -?" 
exclaimed  the  captain,  jumping  out  of  his  cot. 

"Silence,  Captain  Bligh  !"  answered  Churchill.  "Silence, 
and  do  not  attempt  to  resist,  or  I  will  gag  you  ! " 

"  You  needn't  trouble  yourself  to  dress,"  added  Bob ; 
"you  will  cut  quite  a  good  enough  figure  as  you  are 
when  you  are  dangling  at  the  yard-arm !" 

"Lash  his  hands  behind  his  back,  Churchill,"  said 
Christian,  "and  hoist  him  up  on  deck !" 

"  The  most  tyrannical  captains  need  be  feared  no  longer, 
when  one  knows  how  to  set  about  dealing  with  them," 
remarked  John  Smith,  the  philosopher  of  the  crew. 

Then,  without  caring  -whether  or  not  they  awoke  the 
rest  of  the  crew,  they  returned  on  deck. 

It  was  a  regular  mutiny.  Of  the  officers  on  board 
besides  Christian,  Young  alone,  one  of  the  midshipmen, 
had  made  common  cause  with  the  mutineers. 

As  to  the  crew,  those  who  hesitated  at  first  had  been 

R  2 


244  THE  MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY/1 

obliged  to  give  in,  whilst  the  other  officers,  without  arms? 
and  without  a  leader,  remained  spectators  of  the  drama 
which  was  being  acted  before  their  eyes. 

All  were  drawn  up  in  silence  on  the  deck,  and  gazed  at 
their  captain,  who,  half-naked,  held  his  head  high  in  the 
midst  of  these  men,  who  usually  trembled  before  him. 

" Captain  Bligh,"  said  Christian,  roughly,  "you  are 
deprived  of  your  command." 

"  I  do  not  recognise  your  right,"  replied  the  captain. 

"  Do  not  waste  time  in  useless  protestations,"  interrupted 
Christian.  "  I  now  speak  the  sentiments  of  the  Bounty's 
crew.  We  had  scarcely  left  England  when  we  had  already 
reason  to  complain  of  your  insulting  suspicions,  your  brutal 
proceedings.  When  I  say  we,  I  mean  the  officers  as  well 
as  the  seamen.  We  not  only  could  not  obtain  the  satisfac 
tion  which  was  our  due,  but  you  set  aside  our  complaints 
with  contempt !  Are  we  dogs,  that  we  should  be  abused 
on  every  occasion  ?  Scoundrels,  ruffians,  liars,  thieves, 
you  had  no  expression  strong  enough,  no  abuse  coarse 
enough  for  us !  Indeed,  had  we  patiently  borne  such 
a  life,  we  should  have  been  unworthy  to  be  called  men ! 
And  I,  I  your  countryman,  who  know  your  family,  and 
have  already  made  two  voyages  under  you,  have  you 
spared  me  ?  Did  you  not  accuse  me,  only  yesterday,  of 
stealing  some  wretched  fruit  ?  And  the  men,  they  are  put 
in  irons  when  guiltless  of  a  fault.  For  a  trifle  they  are 


Captain  Bligh  in  the  power  of  the  mutineers. 


Page  244. 


TURNED  ADRIFT.  245 


condemned  to  receive  two  dozen  lashes.  Well,  everything 
is  paid  for  in  this  world !  You  have  been  too  liberal  with 
us,  Bligh !  It  is  our  turn  now !  You  are  about  to  expiate 
the  insults,  the  injustice,  the  mad  accusations,  the  moral 
and  physical  tortures  with  which  you  have  overwhelmed 
your  crew  during  a  year  and  a  half,  and  you  shall  pay 
dearly  for  them  !  Captain,  you  have  been  judged  by 
those  whom  you  have  offended,  and  you  are  condemned. 
Is  that  right,  shipmates  ? " 

"Yes,  yes,  death,  death  to  the  tyrant!"  shouted  the 
greater  number  of  the  seamen,  threatening  their  captain. 

"  Captain  Bligh,"  resumed  Christian,  "  some  have  spoken 
of  hoisting  you  dangling  to  the  yard-arm,  between  sky  and 
sea ;  others  propose  to  make  your  back  taste  the  cat  you 
have  so  freely  bestowed  on  theirs,  until  you  die  under  the 
infliction.  They  lack  imagination.  I  have  a  better  plan 
than  that  Besides,  you  are  not  alone  guilty  in  this 
matter.  Those  who  have  always  faithfully  executed  your 
orders,  however  cruel  they  were,  would  be  in  despair  at 
having  to  submit  to  my  command.  They  deserve  to  bear 
you  company  wherever  the  wind  may  drive  you.  Lower 
the  longboat!" 

Christian's  last  words  were  received  with  a  murmur  of 
disapprobation,  which,  however,  did  not  seem  to  trouble 
him.  Captain  Bligh,  who  was  not  intimidated  by  these 
menaces,  profited  by  the  moment's  silence  to  speak. 


246 

"Officers  and  men,"  he  said,  in  a  firm  voice,  "in  my 
character  of  officer  in  the  royal  navy,  commander  of  the 
Bounty,  I  protest  against  the  treatment  with  which  I  am 
threatened.  If  you  have  had  reason  to  complain  of  the 
way  I  have  exercised  my  power,  you  might  have  had  me 
tried  by  a  court-martial.  But,  doubtless,  you  have  not 
reflected  on  the  serious  consequences  of  the  act  you  are 
about  to  commit.  To  lay  hand  on  your  captain  is  to  put 
yourself  in  revolt  against  existing  laws ;  it  will  render  a 
return  to  your  native  country  impossible,  and  will  cause 
you  to  be  treated  like  pirates !  Sooner  or  later  you  will 
come  to  an  ignominious  death,  the  death  of  traitors  and 
rebels !  In  the  name  of  honour  and  the  obedience  you 
swore  to  me,  I  summon  you  to  return  to  your  duty !" 

"  We  know  perfectly  well  to  what  we  expose  ourselves," 
replied  Churchill. 

"  Enough  !  Enough ! "  cried  the  crew,  ready  for  any 
deed  of  violence. 

"  Well,"  said  Bligh,  "  if  you  must  have  a  victim,  let  it  be 
me,  but  me  alone !  Those  of  my  companions  whom  you 
condemn  with  me  have  only  obeyed  my  orders  ! " 

The  voice  of  the  captain  was  now  drowned  by  a  chorus 
of  vociferations,  and  he  was  obliged  to  renounce  the  hope 
of  moving  those  pitiless  hearts. 

While  this  was  going  on,  arrangements  for  the  execution 
of  Christian's  orders  had  been  made. 


TURNED  ADRIFT.  247 


However,  a  lively  dispute  had  arisen  among  the  mutineers, 
some  of  whom  wished  to  abandon  Captain  Bligh  and  his 
friends  without  giving  them  a  weapon,  or  leaving  them 
an  ounce  of  bread. 

Some — and  it  was  also  Churchill's  advice — thought  that 
the  number  of  those  who  ought  to  leave  the  ship  was  not 
large  enough.  They  must  get  rid,  he  said,  of  all  the  men 
who,  not  being  directly  implicated  in  the  plot,  were  not 
safe.  They  could  not  depend  on  those  who  contented 
themselves  with  merely  accepting  accomplished  facts.  As 
to  himself,  his  back  was  still  sore  from  the  lashes  he  had 
received  for  deserting  at  Tahiti.  The  best,  and  the  most 
rapid  way  of  healing  it  would  be  to  deliver  the  captain 
over  to  him !  He  would  know  well  how  to  revenge 
himself,  with  his  own  hand  ! 

"Hay  ward!  Hallett !"  exclaimed  Christian,  addressing 
two  of  the  officers,  without  taking  any  notice  of  Churchill's 
observations,  "  get  into  the  boat." 

"What  have  I  done  to  you,  Christian,  that  you  should 
treat  me  thus  ?"  said  Hay  ward.  "You  are  sending  me  to 
my  death  !" 

"  Recriminations  are  useless  !  Obey,  or  else  ! 

Fryer,  in  with  you  too  ! " 

But  these  officers,  instead  of  going  towards  the  boat, 
approached  Captain  Bligh,  and  Fryer,  who-  seemed  the 
most  determined,  bent  forward,  saying — 


248  THE   MUTINEERS   OF   THE 


"  Captain,  will  you  try  to  retake  the  ship  ?  We  have 
no  arms,  it  is  true,  but  the  mutineers,  if  surprised,  could 
not  resist.  If  a  few  of  us  are  killed,  what  matter !  We 
can  but  try  !  What  do  you  think  ? " 

The  officers  were  already  preparing  to  throw  themselves 
on  the  mutineers,  who  were  now  busily  engaged  in  making 
ready  the  long  boat,  when  Churchill,  whose  notice  these 
words,  brief  as  they  were,  had  not  escaped,  summoning 
several  well-armed  men,  forced  them  into  the  boat. 

"Millward,  Muspratt,  Birket,  and  you  others,"  said 
Christian,  addressing  some  of  the  seamen  who  had  not 
taken  part  in  the  mutiny,  "  go  below  and  choose  whatever 
you  value  most !  You  are  to  accompany  Captain  Bligh. 
You,  Morrison,  look  after  those  fellows !  Purcell,  take 
your  carpenter's  'chest,  I  will  allow  you  to  have  that." 

Two  masts  with  their  sails,  nails,  a  saw,  a  piece  of  sail 
cloth,  four  small  kegs,  each  containing  twenty-four  quarts 
of  water,  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  biscuit,  thirty-two 
pounds  of  salt  pork,  six  bottles  of  wine,  six  bottles  of  rum, 
the  captain's  wine  case,  were  all  the  stores  and  provisions 
they  were  to  be  allowed  to  take. 

They  were  given,  besides,  two  or  three  old  swords,  but 
fire-arms  of  any  description  were  refused  them. 

"Where  are  Peter  Hey  wood  and  Stewart?"  asked 
Bligh,  when  he  was  in  the  boat.  "  Have  they  also  betrayed 
me?" 


TURNED  ADRIFT.  249 


They  had  not  betrayed  him,  but  Christian  had  resolved 
to  keep  them  on  board. 

The  captain  now  had  a  moment  of  discouragement  and 
very  pardonable  weakness,  which,  however,  did  not  last. 

"  Christian,"  he  said,  "  I  give  you  my  word  of  honour 
to  forget  all  that  has  just  occurred,  if  you  will  give  up 
your  abominable  plan !  I  beseech  you,  think  of  my  wife 
and  family  !  Should  I  perish,  what  will  become  of  them  ? " 

"If  you  possessed  any  honour,"  answered  Christian, 
"  things  would  not  have  reached  this  pitch.  If  you 
yourself  had  thought  a  little  more  often  of  your  wife,  of 
your  family,  and  of  the  wives  and  families  of  others,  you 
would  not  have  been  so  harsh,  so  unjust,  towards  all 
of  us!" 

The  boatswain's  mate,  as  he  was  embarking,  endeavoured 
in  his  turn  to  soften  Christian.  All  in  vain. 

"  I  have  been  suffering  too  long,"  he  replied,  bitterly. 
41  You  do  not  know  what  my  tortures  have  been !  No,  it 
cannot  last  a  day  longer  ;  and,  besides,  you  are  not  ignorant 
that,  all  this  voyage,  I,  the  second  officer  of  the  ship,  have 
been  treated  like  a  dog !  However,  in  separating  myself 
from  Captain  Bligh,  whom,  in  all  probability,  I  shall  never 
see  again,  I  wish  from  pity,  not  to  take  from  him  all  hope 
of  safety.  Smith,  go  to  the  captain's  cabin,  and  bring  him 
his  clothes,  his  commission,  his  journal,  and  his  portfolio. 
Also,  give  him  my  nautical  charts,  and  my  own  sextant. 


250  THE  MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

He  will  thus  have  some  chance  of  being  able  to  save  his 
companions,  and  get  out  of  the  scrape  himself!" 

Christian's  orders  were  performed,  though  not  without 
many  objections  from  the  crew. 

"  And  now,  Morrison,  cast  off,"  exclaimed  the  master's 
mate,  now  the  commander  of  the  Bounty,  "  and  leave  them 
to  the  mercy  of  God  !" 

Whilst  the  mutineers  saluted  Captain  Bligh  and  his 
unfortunate  companions  with  ironical  cheers,  the  unhappy 
Christian,  leaning  against  the  hammock  nettings,  could 
not  take  his  eyes  from  the  departing  boat.  This  brave 
officer,  whose  conduct,  loyal  and  open,  had  always,  till 
then,  merited  the  praises  of  all  the  commanders  under 
whom  he  had  served,  was  to-day  no  better  than  the  chief 
of  a  band  of  pirates.  He  could  never  see  again  either 
his  old  mother,  or  his  betrothed,  or  the  Isle  of  Man,  his 
native  place.  He  had  sunk  in  his  own  self-esteem,  and 
was  dishonoured  in  the  eyes  of  everyone. 

Chastisement  was  already  following  his  crime  ! 


Christian  watching  the  departing  boat. 


Page  250. 


VOYAGE  OF   THE   LONG  BOAT.  251 


CHAPTER  II. 

VOYAGE  OF  THE  LONG  BOAT. 

WITH  her  eighteen  passengers,  officers  and  men,  and  the 
scanty  provisions  she  contained,  the  boat  which  carried 
Bligh  was  so  loaded  that  her  gunwale  was  only  fifteen 
inches  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Twenty-one  feet  long 
and  six  wide,  she  was  a  useful  ship's  boat  for  so  numerous 
a  crew,  but  for  such  a  voyage  as  she  was  destined  to 
perform,  she  appeared  utterly  unsuitable. 

The  sailors,  confident  in  the  skill  and  energy  of  their 
captain  and  officers,  who  were  now  all  joined  in  the  same 
fate,  rowed  vigorously,  and  the  boat  rapidly  sped  through 
the  waves. 

Bligh  had  no  hesitation  about  what  he  was  to  do.  He 
wished  first  of  all  to  regain  as  soon  as  possible  the  island 
of  Tofoa,  the  nearest  of  the  Friendly  Islands,  which  they 
had  only  left  a  few  days  before ;  they  would  there  collect 


252  THE  MUTINEERS  OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

bread-fruit,  and  renew  their  store  of  water,  and  then  run 
for  Tonga-Tabou.  They  would  there  obtain  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  provisions  to  last  them  till  they  could  reach 
the  Dutch  settlements  in  Timor,  if,  through  fear  of  savages, 
they  did  not  wish  to  touch  at  any  of  the  numerous 
archipelagos  scattered  here  and  there  on  their  way. 

The  first  day  passed  without  incident,  and  night  was 
falling  when  they  sighted  the  coast  of  Tofoa.  Unfortu 
nately,  the  shore  was  so  rocky,  and  the  cliffs  so  steep,  that 
it  was  impossible  to  disembark  that  night.  They  must 
wait  for  day. 

Unless  it  was  absolutely  necessary,  Bligh  did  not  mean 
to  touch  their  provisions.  The  island  would  have  to 
nourish  his  men  and  himself.  That  seemed  difficult,  for, 
on  first  landing,  not  a  trace  of  inhabitants  was  to  be  met 
with.  Some,  however,  soon  made  their  appearance,  and, 
being  well  received,  others  came,  who  brought  them  water 
and  a  few  cocoa-nuts. 

Bligh's  perplexity  was  great.  What  was  he  to  say  to 
these  natives,  who  had  already  trafficked  with  the  Bounty 
on  her  last  visit  ?  At  any  cost  it  was  necessary  to  hide 
the  truth,  so  as  not  to  destroy  the  prestige  which  the 
strangers  had  before  acquired.  Could  they  say  that 
they  were  sent  for  provisions  for  their  ship,  which  was 
out  at  sea  ? 

That   was   impossible,    for   the  Bounty  was  not  visible, 


The  English  and  the  natives. 


Page  252. 


VOYAGE   OF  THE   LONG  BOAT.  253 

even  from  the  tops  of  the  hills !  Should  they  state  that 
their  vessel  was  wrecked,  and  they  were  the  only  survivors  ? 
That  was  the  story  most  likely*  to  be  credited.  Perhaps 
that  would  touch  the  hearts  of  the  natives  and  induce  them 
to  complete  the  provisioning  of  the  boat.  Bligh  deter 
mined  to  say  this,  though  it  was  dangerous,  and  he  cautioned 
his  men  to  adhere  to  the  statement,  so  that  they  might  all 
agree. 

On  hearing  this  the  natives  made  no  sign  of  either 
joy  or  sorrow.  Their  faces  only  expressed  profound 
astonishment,  and  [  it  was  impossible  to  guess  what  they 
thought. 

On  the  2nd  of  May,  the  number  of  natives  from  other 
parts  of  the  island  increased  to  an  alarming  extent,  and 
Bligh  soon  guessed  that  they  had  hostile  intentions. 
Some  even  tried  to  haul  the  boat  up  on  the  shore,  and 
only  drew  back  before  the  energetic  demonstrations  of  the 
captain,  who  menaced  them  with  his  cutlass.  Whilst  this 
was  going  on,  some  of  the  men,  whom  Bligh  had  sent  to 
search,  brought  back  three  gallons  of  water. 

The  time  had  come  for  quitting  this  inhospitable  island. 
At  sunset  all  was  ready ;  but  it  was  not  easy  to  gain  the 
boat.  The  beach  was  covered  with  natives,  clashing  stones 
against  each  other,  ready  to  throw.  The  boat  kept  off  a 
few  fathoms  from  the  shore,  and  only  touched  just  as  the 
men  were  ready  to  embark. 


254  THE  MUTINEERS  OF   THE   "BOUNTY." 

The  English,  really  uneasy  at  the  hostile  look  of  the 
savages,  walked  down  the  beach,  in  the  midst  of  two 
hundred  natives,  who  were  evidently  only  waiting  a  signal 
to  rush  upon  them.  However,  all  got  safely  into  the  boat, 
when  one  of  the  sailors,  named  Bancroft,  imprudently 
returned  to  fetch  some  article  he  had  forgotten.  In  a 
second,  the  foolish  man  was  surrounded  and  felled  with 
stones,  his  companions,  having  no  firearms,  being  unable 
to  help  him.  At  the  same  time  they  themselves  were 
attacked,  and  stones  rained  upon  them. 

"Come,  lads,"  shouted  Bligh,  "bend  to  your  oars  and 
pull  hard ! " 

The  natives  followed  them  into  the  sea,  and  showers  of 
pebbles  fell  upon  them.  Many  men  were  wounded  ;  but 
Thomas  Hayward  (there  were  two  midshipmen  of  that 
name  belonging  to  the  Bounty),  picking  up  a  stone  which 
had  fallen  into  the  boat,  took  aim  at  one  of  their  assailants 
and  hit  him  between  the  eyes.  The  savage  fell  back  with 
a  cry,  which  was  answered  by  a  cheer  from  the  English. 
Their  unfortunate  comrade  was  avenged. 

By  this  time  several  canoes  had  left  the  shore  and  were 
giving  chase.  This  pursuit  could  have  only  ended  in  a 
combat,  the  issue  of  which  could  not  have  been  favourable, 
when  the  master  had  a  bright  idea.  Without  suspecting 
that  he  was  imitating  Hippomenes  in  his  race  with 
Atalanta,  he  stripped  off  his  jacket,  which  he  threw  into 


VOYAGE  OF  THE  LONG  BOAT.  255 

the  sea.  The  natives,  leaving  the  prey  for  the  shadow, 
stopped  to  pick  it  up,  and  this  expedient  permitted  the 
boat  to  double  the  point  of  the  bay. 

In   the   meantime   night    came    on,   and   the    savages 
discouraged,  abandoned  the  chase. 

This  first  attempt  at  landing  was  too  unlucky  to  be 
renewed  ;  such  at  least  was  the  opinion  of  Captain  Bligh. 

"We  must  now  come  to  a  resolution,"  he  said.  "The 
scene  which  has  just  passed  at  Tofoa  will  occur  again,  I 
am  certain,  at  Tonga  Tabou,  and  wherever  else  we  may 
touch.  So  small  a  number  as  we  are,  without  firearms, 
would  be  absolutely  at  the  mercy  of  the  savages.  Having 
no  articles  for  barter,  we  could  not  buy  provisions,  and  it 
is  impossible  for  us  to  procure  them  by  force.  We  are 
reduced  to  our  own  resources  ;  and  you,  my  friends,  know 
as  well  as  I  do,  how  miserable  they  are  !  But  would  it 
not  be  better  to  be  contented  with  them,  rather  than  at 
each  landing  to  risk  the  lives  of  some  of  our  party  ? 
However,  I  do  not  wish  to  hide  anything  of  the  horror  of 
our  situation  from  you.  To  reach  Timor  we  have  nearly 
twelve  hundred  leagues  to  run,  and  you  must  be  satisfied 
with  one  ounce  of  biscuit  and  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  water 
a  day !  Safety  can  be  obtained  at  this  price  only,  and 
also  on  the  condition  that  you  yield  me  implicit  obedience. 
Answer  me  without  reserve  !  Do  you  consent  to  attempt 
the  enterprise  ?  Will  you  swear  to  obey  my  orders, 


256  THE   MUTINEERS   OF   THE   "BOUNTY." 

whatever  they  may  be  ?  Will  you  promise  to  submit 
without  murmuring  to  these  privations  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,  we  swear  it !  "  exclaimed  Bligh's  companions, 
with  one  voice. 

"  My  friends,"  resumed  the  captain,  "  we  must  also  forget 
our  reciprocal  wrongs,  our  antipathies,  and  our  hates,  in 
one  word,  sacrifice  our  personal  grudges  to  the  interest  of 
all,  which  must  alone  guide  us  ! " 

"  We  promise." 

"  If  you  keep  your  word,"  added  Bligh,  "and  if  need  be, 
I  can  force  you  to  do  so,  I  will  answer  for  your  safety." 

A  course  was  now  steered  to  the  W.N.W.  The  wind, 
which  was  strong,  blew  a  regular  gale  by  the  evening  of 
the  4th  of  May.  The  waves  were  so  high  that  the  boat 
disappeared  between  them,  and  could  hardly  struggle  up 
again.  Every  moment  the  danger  increased.  Drenched 
and  chilled,  the  unfortunate  men  had]  nothing  to  comfort 
them  on  that  day  but  a  glass  of  rum  and  the  quarter  of  a 
half-rotten  bread-fruit. 

During  the  next  and  following  days  their  condition  did 
not  improve.  The  boat  passed  by  a  few  islands,  from 
which  several  canoes  put  off. 

Was  it  to  give  chase,  or  to  try  and  barter  ?  In  any 
case  it  would  be  imprudent  to  stop.  The  boat,  therefore, 
her  sails  filled  with  a  fair  breeze,  soon  left  them  far 
behind. 


Bligh's  perilous  voyage. 


Page  256. 


VOYAGE   OF   THE   LONG  BOAT.  257 

On  the  Qth  of  May  again  a  terrible  storm  broke  over 
them.  Thunder  and  lightning  succeeded  without  interrup 
tion.  The  rain  fell  with  a  force,  of  which  even  the  most 
violent  storms  of  our  climate  fail  to  give  an  idea.  It  was 
impossible  to  dry  their  clothes.  Bligh  then  thought  of 
plunging  them  into  the  sea,  and  thus  to  impregnate  them 
with  salt,  so  as  to  bring  back  to  the  skin  a  little  of  the 
warmth  carried  away  by  the  rain.  These  torrents  of  rain, 
however,  which  caused  so  much  suffering  to  the  captain 
and  his  companions,  spared  them  other  tortures  still  more 
horrible,  the  tortures  of  thirst,  which  unbearable  heat 
would  soon  have  produced. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i/th  of  May,  after  a  frightful 
gale,  complaints  became  general. 

"  We  shall  never  have  strength  to  reach  New  Holland," 
cried  the  unfortunate  crew.  "Wet  through  by  the  rain, 
exhausted  by  fatigue,  we  shall  never  have  a  moment's 
rest !  We  are  half  dead  with  hunger ;  will  you  not  increase 
our  rations,  captain  ?  What  matters  it  if  our  provisions 
do  fail  ?  We  can  easily  replace  them  on  arriving  at  New 
Holland  ! " 

"  I  refuse,"  replied  Bligh.  "  That  would  be  to  act  like 
fools.  What !  We  have  only  crossed  half  the  distance 
we  had  to  run  when  cast  adrift  to  reach  Australia,  and  you 
are  already  discouraged !  Do  you  think,  besides,  that 
you  will  find  it  easy  to  obtain  provisions  on  the  coast  of 

S 


258  THE   MUTINEERS  OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

New  Holland  ?  You  know  neither  the  country  nor  the 
inhabitants ! " 

And  Bligh  described  in  a  graphic  way  the  nature  of  the 
soil,  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  natives,  the  small 
dependence  they  must  place  on  a  friendly  reception, 
everything,  indeed,  that  his  voyage  with  Captain  Cook 
had  taught  him.  For  this  time  his  companions  listened 
and  were  silenced. 

For  the  next  fifteen  days  they  were  cheered  by  a 
bright  sun,  which  dried  their  clothes.  On  the  2/th  they 
crossed  the  reefs  which  border  the  eastern  coast  of  New 
Holland.  The  sea  was  calm  behind  this  coral  belt,  and 
several  groups  of  islands,  covered  with  exotic  vegetation, 
rejoiced  their  sight. 

They  landed,  and  advanced  cautiously.  No  traces  of 
the  natives  did  they  find,  except  some  signs  of  fires.  It 
was,  therefore,  possible  to  pass  a  good  night  on  shore. 
But  they  had  to  eat.  By  great  good  luck  one  of  the 
sailors  discovered  a  bed  of  oysters,  which  furnished  them 
with  a  regular  feast. 

The  next  day  Bligh  found  in  the  boat  a  magnifying 
glass  and  a  tinder-box.  This  enabled  them  to  procure  fire 
to  cook  game  or  fish. 

Bligh  then  proposed  to  divide  his  crew  into  three  parties  ; 
one  to  stay  and  put  everything  in  order  in  the  boat,  the 
two  others  to  go  and  search  for  food.  But  several  men 


VOYAGE  OF  THE  LONG  BOAT.          259 

complained  bitterly,  declaring  that  they  would  rather  go 
without  their  dinner  than  venture  into  the  country. 

One  of  them,  more  violent  or  more  bold  than  his 
companions,  went  so  far  as  to  say  to  the  captain — 

"  One  man  is  as  good  as  another,  and  I  don't  see  why 
you  should  always  take  your  ease  !  If  you  are  hungry  go 
and  get  something  to  eat  !  For  all  the  good  you  do  I 
could  do  as  well ! " 

Bligh,  knowing  that  this  mutinous  spirit  must  be  put  a 
stop  to,  immediately  seized  a  cutlass,  and  throwing  another 
at  the  rebel's  feet,  he  exclaimed — 

"  Defend  yourself,  or  I  will  kill  you  like  a  dog  ! " 

This  energetic  attitude  soon  brought  the  mutineer  back 
to  reason,  and  the  general  discontent  was  calmed. 

During  this  rest  the  boat's  crew  collected  an  abundance 
of  oysters  and  other  shell-fish,  as  well  as  a  supply  of  fresh 
water. 

A  little  further  on,  in  the  Endeavour  Straits,  of  two 
detachments,  sent  out  to  chase  tortoises  and  noddies  (a 
species  of  sea-fowl),  the  first  returned  with  empty  hands, 
the  second  with  only  six  noddies ;  but  they  would  have 
taken  many  more  had  it  not  been  for  the  obstinacy  of  one 
of  the  hunters,  who,  straying  from  his  comrades,  frightened 
the  birds.  This  man  acknowledged  afterwards  that  he 
had  managed  to  get  hold  of  nine  noddies,  and  had  eaten 
them  raw  on  the  spot. 

S  2 


260  THE   MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

Without  the  food  and  fresh  water  they  found  on  the 
coast  of  New,  Holland,  it  is  very  certain  that  Bligh  and 
his  companions  would  have  perished.  As  it  was,  they 
were  in  a  most  pitiable  condition,  so  exhausted  and 
emaciated  as  to  resemble  skeletons  rather  than  living- 
men. 

The  voyage  to  Timor,  through  a  little-known  sea,  was 
but  a  mournful  repetition  of  the  sufferings  already  endured 
by  these  unfortunate  men  before  they  reached  the  coasts 
of  New  Holland.  The  only  difference  was  that  the 
strength  of  all,  without  exception,  was  much  diminished. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  days  their  legs  became  swollen,  and 
while  in  this  prostrate  condition  they  were  overwhelmed 
with  an  incessant  longing  for  sleep.  These  symptoms,  it 
was  conjectured,  foreboded  a  termination  to  their  sufferings, 
which  could  not  be  long  in  coming.  As  soon  as  Captain 
Bligh  perceived  these  alarming  symptoms  he  distributed 
double  rations  to  the  weakest,  and  strove  to  inspire  them 
with  some  hope. 

At  last,  on  the  morning  of  the  1 2th  of  June,  the  coast  of 
Timor  appeared,  after  a  voyage  of  three  thousand  six 
hundred  miles  had  been  accomplished  under  the  most 
frightful  and  trying  circumstances. 

The  English  received  an  excessively  sympathetic  recep 
tion  at  Coupang ;  and  remained  there  two  months  to 
recruit.  Captain  Bligh,  having  here  purchased  a  small 


VOYAGE  OF  THE  LONG  BOAT.          26 1 

schooner,  sailed  for  Batavia,  which  place  was  reached  in 
safety,  and  thence  he  embarked  for  England. 

On  the  I4th  of  March,  1790,  the  deserted  men  landed 
at  Portsmouth.  The  recital  of  the  tortures  they  had 
endured  excited  universal  sympathy  and  indignation. 
The  Admiralty  almost  immediately  fitted  out  the  frigate 
Pandora,  of  twenty-four  guns,  which,  with  a  crew  of  a 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  was  sent  out  in  pursuit  of  the 
mutineers  of  the  Bounty. 

We  will  now  see  what  had  become  of  them. 


262  THE  MUTINEERS  OF   THE   "BOUNTY.' 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE   MUTINEERS. 

AFTER  Captain  Bligh  had  been  deserted  in  the  open  sea, 
the  Bounty  set  sail  for  Tahiti.  The  same  day  she  reached 
Toubouai.  The  smiling  aspect  of  this  little  island,  sur 
rounded  by  a  belt  of  coral  rocks,  invited  Christian  to  touch 
there  ;  but  the  demonstrations  of  the  inhabitants  appearing 
too  threatening,  a  landing  was  not  effected. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1789,  the  anchor  was  dropped  in 
the  roads  of  MatavaT.  Great  was  the  surprise  of  the 
Tahitians  on  recognising  the  Bounty.  The  mutineers  soon 
fell  in  with  the  natives,  whose  friendship  they  had  gained 
on  a  previous  occasion,  and  to  them  they  told  a  story,  into 
which  they  took  care  to  bring  the  name  of  Captain  Cook, 
whom  the  Tahitians  well  remembered. 

On  the  29th  of  June  the  mutineers  departed  for  Toubouai 
and  began  a  search  for  some  island  out  of  the  ordinary 
route  of  ships,  where  the  soil  was  fertile  enough  to  supply 


The  Bounty  approaching  the  shore. 


Page  262. 


THE  MUTINEERS.  263 


them  with  food,  and  where  they  might  live  in  security. 
They  roved  thus  from  one  group  of  islands  to  another, 
committing  excesses  of  all  sorts,  which  Christian's  authority 
was  rarely  sufficient  to  prevent.  Then,  attracted  once 
more  by  the  fertility  of  Tahiti,  and  by  the  gentle  and 
easy  nature  of  the  inhabitants,  they  returned  to  the  Bay 
of  Matavai'.  There  two-thirds  of  the  crew  landed,  but  that 
same  evening  the  Bounty  weighed  anchor  and  disappeared, 
before  the  men  suspected  Christian  of  any  intention  of 
going  without  them. 

Left  to  their  own  resources,  the  seamen  established 
themselves  without  much  regret  in  different  parts  of  the 
island.  George  Stewart  and  Peter  Hey  wood,  the  two 
midshipmen  whom  Christian  had  excepted  from  the 
sentence  pronounced  against  Bligh,  and  had  brought  in 
spite  of  themselves,  remained  at  Matavai'  near  the  king 
Tippao,  whose  sister  Stewart  soon  afterwards  married. 
Morrison  and  Milward  joined  the  chief  Peno,  who  received 
them  well.  As  to  the  others  they  went  inland,  and  before 
long  took  Tahitian  wives. 

Churchill  and  a  mad  fellow  named  Thompson,  after 
having  committed  all  sorts  of  crimes,  came  at  last  to  blows. 
Churchill  was  killed  in  the  struggle,  and  Thompson  was 
stoned  to  death  by  the  natives. 

Thus  perished  two  of  the  persons  who  had  taken  the 
greatest  share  in  the  mutiny.  The  others,  on  the  contrary, 


264  THE  MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

by  their  good  conduct,  endeared  themselves  to  the 
Tahitians. 

However,  Morrison  and  Milward,  always  seeing  chastise 
ment  suspended  over  their  heads,  could  not  live  quietly 
in  an  island  where  they  might  be  so  easily  discovered. 
They,  therefore,  conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  schooner, 
in  which  to  reach  Batavia,  there  to  conceal  themselves  in 
the  midst  of  a  civilised  community.  With  eight  of  their 
companions,  having  only  a  few  ordinary  carpenters'  tools, 
they  contrived,  not  without  difficulty,  to  construct  a  small 
vessel,  which  they  called  the  Resolution,  mooring  her  in  a 
bay  behind  Venus  Point ;  but  the  impossibility  of  procuring 
sails  prevented  them  from  putting  to  sea. 

All  this  time,  strong  in  their  innocence,  Stewart  cultivated 
a  garden,  and  Peter  Heywood  collected  materials  for  a 
vocabulary,  which,  later,  was  of  great  assistance  to  the 
English  missionaries. 

Eighteen  months  had  thus  passed  away,  when,  on  the 
23rd  of  March,  1791,  a  vessel  doubled  Venus  Point,  and 
anchored  in  Matavai  Bay.  This  was  the  Pandora,  sent  in 
pursuit  of  the  mutineers  by  the  English  Admiralty. 

Heywood  and  Stewart  hastened  on  board,  declared  their 
names  and  rank,  and  said  that  they  had  taken  no  part  in 
the  mutiny;  but  they  were  not  believed,  and  were  imme 
diately  put  in  irons,  as  were  the  rest  of  the  men  found  on 
shore,  without  the  least  enquiry  having  been  made  as 


THE  MUTINEERS.  265 


to  the  truth  of  their  statements.  Loaded  with  chains,  and 
threatened  that  they  would  be  shot  should  they  converse 
in  the  Tahitian  language  among  themselves,  they  were 
shut  up  in  a  cage  eleven  feet  long,  placed  at  the  end  of  the 
quarter-deck,  to  which  some  one  versed  in  mythology  gave 
the  name  of  Pandora's  box. 

On  the  I Qth  of  May,  the  Resolution,  which  had  been 
provided  with  sails,  and  the  Pandora,  put  to  sea.  For 
three  months  they  cruised  among  the  Friendly  Isles,  where 
it  was  supposed  that  Christian  and  the  rest  of  the  mutineers 
had  taken  refuge.  As  the  Resolution  did  not  draw  much 
water,  she  was  of  great  use  in  this  cruise;  but  she  dis 
appeared  near  Chatham  Island,  and  although  the  Pandora 
remained  in  the  neighbourhood  for  several  days,  nothing 
was  ever  again  heard  of  her  or  of  the  five  seamen  by  whom 

she  was  manned.  B«KCroft  Lit*** 

The  Pandora  was  on  her  way  back  to  Europe  with  the 
prisoners,  when,  in  Torres  Straits,  she  struck  on  a  coral 
reef,  and  went  down  with  thirty-one  of  her  own  men,  and 
four  of  the  mutineers. 

The  crew  and  the  prisoners  who  escaped  gained  a  sandy 
island.  There  the  officers  and  seamen  sheltered  themselves 
under  tents ;  but  the  mutineers,  exposed  to  the  heat  of  a 
vertical  sun,  were  obliged,  in  order  to  obtain  a  little  relief, 
to  bury  themselves  up  to  their  necks  in  sand. 

The  castaways  remained  on  this  islet  for  some  days,  and 


266  THE  MUTINEERS  OF   THE  "BOUNTY." 

then  all  reached  Timor  in  the  Pandora's  boats,  the  strict 
watch  kept  over  the  mutineers,  notwithstanding  the  fearful 
circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed,  never  being  for 
a  moment  relaxed. 

Reaching  England  in  the  month  of  June,  1792,  the 
mutineers  were  brought  before  a  court-martial,  presided 
over  by  Admiral  Hood.  The  trial  lasted  six  days,  and 
was  terminated  by  the  acquittal  of  four  of  the  accused, 
and  the  condemnation  to  death  of  six  others,  for  the  crime 
of  desertion  and  carrying  off  of  the  vessel  given  to  their 
charge.  Four  of  the  condemned  were  hung  on  board 
a  ship  of  war  ;  the  two  others,  Stewart  and  Peter  Heywood, 
whose  innocence  was  at  last  acknowledged,  were  pardoned. 

But  what  had  become  of  the  Bounty  ?  Had  she  been 
wrecked  with  the  last  of  the  mutineers  ?  This  no  one 
could  tell. 

In  iSi4,[twenty-five  years  after  the  scene  with  which  this 
narrative  commences,  two  English  ships  of  war  were 
cruising  in  Oceania,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Staines. 
They  found  themselves  to  the  south  of  the  dangerous 
archipelago,  in  sight  of  a  mountainous  and  volcanic  island, 
discovered  by  Carteret  in  his  voyage  round  the  world,  and 
by  him  given  the  name  of  Pitcairn  Island.  It  was  a  mere 
islet,  almost  without  a  shore,  rising  perpendicularly  from 
the  sea,  and  clothed  to  its  summit  with  forests  of  palms 
and  bread-fruit  trees. 


THE  MUTINEERS.  267 


This  island  had  never  before  been  visited ;  it  was  twelve 
hundred  miles  from  Tahiti,  25°  4'  south  latitude,  and 
1 80°  8'  west  longitude;  it  measured  four  miles  and  a 
half  in  circumference,  and  only  a  mile  and  a  half  across 
in  its  widest  part.  No  one  knew  what  report  Carteret 
had  given  of  it. 

Captain  Staines  resolved  to  survey  it,  and  ascertain  if 
a  suitable  place  for  landing  existed. 

On  approaching  the  shore,  he  was  surprised  at  seeing 
huts,  plantations,  and  on  the  beach,  two  natives,  who,  having 
launched  a  boat  and  skilfully  crossed  the  surf,  came 
towards  his  vessel.  But  his  astonishment  was  boundless 
when  they  addressed  him  in  excellent  English  with  the 
words — 

"  Hullo,  you  there  !  Will  you  heave  us  a  rope,  that  we 
may  get  on  board  !" 

Directly  they  reached  the  deck,  the  two  sturdy  rowers 
were  surrounded  by  the  wondering  sailors,  who  over 
whelmed  them  with  questions.  Brought  before  the  captain, 
they  were  interrogated  in  form — 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  My  name  is  Thursday  October  Christian,  and  my  mate 
here  is  Ned  Young." 

These  names  told  nothing  to  Captain  Staines,  who  was 
far  from  thinking  of  the  survivors  of  the  Bounty. 

"  How  long  have  you  lived  here  ?" 


263  THE   MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

u  We  were  born  here." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?" 

"  I  am  five-and-twenty,  and  Young  is  eighteen." 

"  Were  your  parents  wrecked  on  this  island  ? " 

The  son  of  Fletcher  Christian,  for  such  the  young  man 
was,  then  gave  Captain  Staines  the  following  narrative — 

On  leaving  Tahiti,  where  he  abandoned  twenty-one  of 
his  comrades,  Christian,  who  had  on  board  an  account 
-of  Cartaret's  voyage,  steered  towards  Pitcairn  Island,  the 
position  of  which  appeared  to  him  suitable  for  the  plan  he 
proposed.  Twenty-eight  men  now  composed  the  crew  of 
the  Bounty.  They  were  Fletcher  Christian,  the  midshipman 
Young,  and  seven  seamen,  six  Tahitians,  three  with  wives, 
a  child  of  ten  months  old,  and  three  men  and  six  women, 
natives  of  Rouboua'f . 

The  first  care  of  Christian  and  his  companions  on 
reaching  Pitcairn  had  been  to  destroy  the  Bounty,  so  as 
not  to  be  discovered.  This,  of  course,  prevented  their  leav 
ing  the  island  again,  but  it  was  necessary  for  their  safety. 

The  establishment  of  the  little  colony  was  not  made 
without  difficulty  among  persons  whose  only  bond  of  union 
was  their  common  crime.  Bloody  quarrels  soon  broke  out 
between  the  Tahitians  and  the  English.  In  1794  only  four 
of  the  mutineers  survived.  Christian  had  fallen  by  the 
knife  of  one  of  the  natives  he  had  brought  to  the  island. 
All  the  Tahitians  had  been  massacred. 


THE  MUTINEERS.  269 


One  of  the  English,  who  had  discovered  a  way  of 
manufacturing  spirits  from  the  root  of  a  plant,  became 
brutalised  by  drunkenness,  and,  in  a  fit  of  delirium  tremens, 
threw  himself  from  the  top  of  a  cliff  into  the  sea. 

Another,  in  a  fit  of  madness,  attacked  Young,  and  one  of 
the  sailors,  named  John  Adams,  was  obliged  to  kill  him. 
In  1 800  Young  died  from  a  violent  attack  of  asthma. 

John  Adams  was  then  the  sole  survivor  of  the  mutineers. 
Remaining  alone,  with  several  women  and  twenty  children, 
the  offspring  of  marriages  between  his  shipmates  and  the 
natives,  the  character  of  John  Adams  underwent  a 
complete  change.  He  was  then  not  more  than  thirty-six  ; 
but  during  those  years  he  had  been  present  at  so  many 
scenes  of  violence  and  bloodshed,  he  had  seen  human 
nature  under  so  many  sad  aspects,  that,  on  looking  back 
on  his  conduct,  he  became  an  altered  man. 

In  the  library  of  the  Bounty,  kept  on  the  island,  were 
a  Bible  and  several  Prayer-books.  John  Adams,  who  read 
them  frequently,  became  converted,  brought  up  the  youth 
ful  population,  who  considered  him  as  a  father,  in  excellent 
principles,  and  became,  in  the  nature  of  things,  the  legis 
lator,  the  high  priest,  and,  so  to  speak,  the  king  of  Pitcairn. 

However,  up  to  1814,  his  alarms  had  been  constant.  In 
1795,  a  vessel  had  approached  Pitcairn,  and  the  four 
survivors  of  the  Bounty  hid  themselves  in  inaccessible  woods, 
not  daring  to  descend  to  the  bay  until  after  the  departure 


2/O  THE  MUTINEERS   OF  THE   "BOUNTY." 

of  the  ship.  John  Adams  acted  in  the  same  way,  when,  in 
1808,  an  American  captain  landed  on  the  island,  from 
which  he  carried  off  a  chronometer  and  a  compass,  which 
he  sent  to  the  British  Admiralty ;  but  the  Admiralty  were 
not  affected  at  the  sight  of  these  relics  of  the  Bounty,  there 
being  something  more  important  to  think  of  in  Europe  just 
at  that  time. 

Such  was  the  narrative  given  to  Captain  Staines  by  the 
two  natives,  English  on  their  father's  side,  one  the  son  of 
Christian,  the  other  the  son  of  Young  ;  but  when  Captain 
Staines  asked  to  see  John  Adams,  the  latter  refused  to 
come  on  board,  until  he  knew  how  he  was  likely  to  be 
treated. 

The  captain,  having  assured  the  two  young  men  that 
John  Adams  was  safe,  as  twenty-five  years  had  passed 
since  the  mutiny  of  the  Bounty,  went  on  shore,  where  he 
was  received  by  a  population  composed  of  forty-six  adults, 
and  a  large  number  of  children.  All  were  tall  and  strong, 
of  a  clearly-marked  English  type,  the  girls  especially  being 
remarkably  pretty,  the  modesty  of  their  manners  making 
them  altogether  charming. 

The  laws  in  force  in  the  island  were  of  the  simplest 
character.  On  a  register  was  noted  all  that  each  one  gained 
by  his  work.  Money  was  unknown,  all  transactions  being 
made  by  means  of  exchange  ;  but  there  was  no  manufactory, 
as  no  materials  were  to  be  had.  For  clothing  the  inhabitants 


THE  MUTINEERS. 


wore  large  hats  and  belts  of  grass.  Fishing  and  agriculture 
were  their  principal  occupations.  Marriages  were  only 
made  with  the  permission  of  Adams,  and  when  the  man 
had  cleared  and  planted  ground  sufficient  for  the  support 
of  his  future  family. 

Captain  Staines,  having  collected  much  curious  informa 
tion  relating  to  this  island,  thus  long  concealed  from  the 
civilised  world  in  the  most  unfrequented  part  of  the 
Pacific,  put  to  sea,  and  returned  to  Europe. 

Since  that  time  the  venerable  John  Adams  has  terminated 
his  checkered  career.  He  died  in  1829,  and  was  replaced 
by  the  Reverend  John  Nobbs,  who  then  fulfilled  in  the 
island  the  functions  of  pastor,  doctor,  and  schoolmaster. 

In  1853,  the  descendants  of  the  mutineers  of  the  Bounty 
numbered  a  hundred  and  seventy  individuals.  Since  then 
the  population  had  increased  and  become  so  numerous  that, 
three  years  later,  it  was  decided  to  remove  a  number  to 
Norfolk  Island,  which  until  then  had  been  used  for  convicts. 
But  the  party  of  emigrants  regretted  Pitcairn  so  much, 
although  Norfolk  was  four  times  larger,  its  soil  remarkable 
for  its  richness,  and  living  there  was  far  easier,  that  after  a 
couple  of  years'  stay,  several  families  returned  to  Pitcairn, 
where  they  continue  to  prosper. 

Such  was  the  issue  of  an  adventure  which  had  begun  in 
so  tragic  a  way. 

At  first,  mutineers,  murderers,  madmen,  and  now,  under 


2/2  THE  MUTINEERS   OF   THE 


the  influence  of  Christian  morals,  and  instruction  given  by 
a  poor  converted  sailor,  Pitcairn  Island  has  become  the 
fatherland  of  a  gentle,  hospitable,  and  happy  population, 
among  whom  are  found  the  primitive  manners  of  the 
patriarchal  ages. 


LONDON  :     1'RINTED    BY   WILLIAM    CLOWES   AND   SONS,   STAMFORD   STREET 
AND   CHARING   CROSS. 


(XTS  H\ 


